What is an advocate? An advocate is someone who understands us and fights with us for what we need to reach our personal potential. How do you get ADHD advocate – Heros?  If you are like me and have ADHD, you need to have the support and positive influence of certain people.

What is an Advocate?

An advocate (what I also refer to as an ADHD Hero) has a major impact on your life. These are people who understand you. They get you. Furthermore they want to see you succeed because they see something in you that other people might not – potential. Your hero does not need to be trained and they may not be far from you. It it likely someone in your family or at school or  at work. They travel with you in your daily life, acting like everyone else, but they are super human. They can see past a disabling and persistent disorder in you and they put their, time, reputation, comfort, and/or 100 other things on the line for you so you can succeed.

How Do You Get ADHD Advocate – Heros?

Many people have asked me how to “get” an advocate or hero. But as I said above, you most likely already have at least one in your life. It is probably someone right under your nose. A more important question is how you recognize them. Look for the person who knows you are different, but does not fault you. Look for the person who has gone to bat for you, in even the smallest way. One of my favorite poems is  Footprints in the Sand. And just as the person in the poem assumes much about God’s presence in his life, we many times take for granted the people who help us.

 Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. “Lord you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Carolyn Carty, 1963

Have You Thanked Your Heroes?

Once you know your heroes, you need to think of whether they know that you realize and appreciate their role in your life. Have you thanked them? Do they know that despite everything you may put them through, you do care for them and their help. These are the people who are often forgotten when we are doing well and are not as dependent on their support. But when we fall they carry us and at times we don’t even know it. In a future post I will suggest ways that you can thank your advocate/heroes.