By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 24, 2025
When it comes to coaching those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), interest isn’t just something; it is everything. In reading this article, you will understand why interest is such an important part of coaching those with ADHD and how it can serve as a window to what is instinctive—or how those with ADHD are hardwired.
To begin, let’s talk about instinct. Instinct explains why carnivores don’t eat plants; instinct is what drives us to procreate and how we know which is our dominant hand (left or right). Humans, along with all other animals, are hardwired, or preprogrammed you might say, with a set of basic instructions at birth. Dictionaries define “instinct” as:
- An inborn pattern of activity
- A natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency
- A natural aptitude
- A powerful motivation or impulse
In my experience as a coach, I’ve come to look at interest as something that is instinctive to us. In other words, instinctively, we pay attention to what we are interested in. Dictionaries define “interest” as:
- Something that draws the attention of, concern, arouses the curiosity of a person, or induces them to participate.
- The feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is engaged by something.
- Power of exciting such concern, stimulating such a sense, involvement, etc.
- To concern a person in something; involve
In a sense, interest is like a magnet. Instinctively, our attention is drawn towards something. Conversely, disinterest is the opposite and repels our attention. If we pay attention to what naturally draws or repels our attention, we can gain insight on what comes naturally for us, thus empowering us to manipulate our environment to accomplish our goals.
For example, I struggle to read because of challenges presented by my dyslexia and learning disability. As a result, reading is not interesting to me. Talking is! In college when I needed to do a research paper, I wouldn’t read the book; I’d just interview the author or another expert in the field. In the end, I accomplished my goal of writing a paper, but I did it my way, the way that interested me and allowed me to work with instead of against my natural abilities.
What most people don’t realize is that interest is not necessarily a topic but a pattern of thought or behavior. I talked out loud all my life but never noticed the pattern until I became a coach. You could say talking out loud is how I think. As a result, I’ve always been drawn to stimulating conversation at cocktail parties where others share insights or explain how they did something.
Here is another example of what interest can look like. My youngest son loves to play computer games. On the surface level, it appears he is just interested in mindless games. But pay attention to the common characteristics of the computer games he plays, and a pattern emerges. You see, my son is drawn to chess, monopoly, and sports games, especially soccer, each of which is centered on insightful thinking. Thus, he is drawn to figuring things out.
If the goal is to excel, move forward, or get unstuck, isn’t it easier to work with our natural programming rather than trying to change ourselves? If so, paying attention to what interests or disinterests us, it can help us understand how we work.
Since we instinctively pay attention to what we are interested in by noticing those topics and patterns, we can deconstruct how we are programmed or hardwired. By understanding our unique programming, we can create an environment where we can perform in our natural way according to instinct.
I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts about the subject, so please post your comment below.