Hi, I'm ADHD Coach Ryan from Stimuli. In this series, I'm going to be talking with you about ADHD in the workplace. As a certified ADHD performance and mindset coach, this is a topic I get asked about quite frequently. I'm excited to dive in with you about the topic because we have a lot to talk about.But before we do that, let's think bigger. I'll start with this philosophical question: why do we work? For money? Security? Health insurance? Go deeper. Think about why we work. As individuals. As a species. Perhaps we work to satisfy our own needs and wants. Sometimes we work directly, like growing vegetables in our garden to eat. Most of the time, we work indirectly. Working to get money that we use to buy the goods and services that we need. Working to survive has been part of our evolutionary journey, when you think about it. Back in the day, humans weren't clocking in, we were surviving. And we don't just lose the prehistoric us. It's just buried under layers of industrialism, capitalism, consumerism, and all the rest. So there's already an evolutionary drive within us to work. A desire to make, to contribute, to be seen as useful and smart, to be recognised for our accomplishments. There's also a social element to work though. We get to interact with others, share our work with others, get feedback and recognition and esteem from others. Even in our world of telecommuting, virtual meetings and self checkout lines, we want to feel like our work has meaning, like our lives are meaningful. The satisfaction of using the skill you have in a productive, measurable way, that's not a small feat, it's not a "nice to have". It's a need. One that's paramount to happiness. According to author and professor Cal Newport, your level of autonomy at work is directly linked to your happiness. And so it's a feeling that your skill set is being utilised. Because we want to feel useful. We want to feel in control. The number one factor for determining someone's job-related happiness is doing work that they feel is meaningful. Feeling like you're wasting your time at a job that you dislike or on a life that doesn't have a deeper purpose. It drains you.This is why the question "why we work?" is so important to be asking ourselves. And honestly not enough people are asking it, because many people are just on autopilot. So let's take a deep breath. And together, let's take our consciousness off of autopilot, just for a bit. Ask yourself this. Why do you have the job that you have? To pay bills? That's fair. But there are other ways to make money. Why do you have this particular job? Think about it. And as you do, let me share this. I am an ADHD mindset and performance coach. Before I found this calling, I worked in sales. All the work that I was doing was just the figurative checking of boxes. I wasn't really enjoying it. The work wasn't fulfilling for me. Because I wasn't actually interested in filling out the forms. I wasn't motivated enough by making money. See, I love talking. I love connecting with people. But the rest of the job that I had, it just felt empty. I realised now it was because the ADHD brain has to be interested. Our brains have to be stimulated to actually do the thing. This is not something that you can fake, especially long term because if you do, you will burn out.Now I want to ask you another question. Do you feel like the work that you do matters? You've probably heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It stacks our fundamental human needs into the shape of a pyramid with psychological needs like food and shelter and security on the lower levels, supporting love and esteem and self actualization on the higher levels of the pyramid. The money that we make in our jobs, the monetary benefits we get, all the perks, that covers the bottom of the pyramid. But meaning, purpose, and those intangible benefits, those cover the top. Now notice it's not Maslow's "Hierarchy of Wants", our desire for meaning and purpose, it's a need, not a want, not a maybe in all caps NEED. When you feel that the people are saying to you, "you matter, and the work that you do matters to us", it makes an incredible difference. The difference between doing work and doing work that matters, it's profound. Like night and day difference. Instead of "what kind of work do you do?" I want to suggest some other words, "vocation", "purpose", "calling", your big "why?" How nice would it be, to not have to have "work" be such a loaded word, "I have to go to work." "I'm staying late to do more work." "I have to leave now to go to work." Look without knowing much about you, I know this. You have a purpose. You have a big "why?" that's driving you. You have something important to offer this world through the work that you choose to do.One last question for you to think about between now and the next time you hear from me. Do you know what your big "why?" is? You can be anything. Here's some thoughts to keep in mind. People with ADHD are good at a lot of things. But in particular, we're good at: remaining calm in stressful situations, being good entertainers, teachers, emergency medics, artists. We're exceptionally good at landscaping, construction, anything outdoors or using our design oriented minds. Whatever you do, though, make it matter. Ask yourself, what am I really excited about? What am I passionate about? What do I do for fun? Find your "why?" and align that with the work that you do. Align your work with your "why?" it will change your life.