In 1995, I was 23 years old and still technically in college.

I say “technically” because I was also working what felt like nine jobs, chasing career dreams I couldn’t fully explain, and battling a brain that acted like an over-caffeinated ideas committee with no chairperson. If you asked me what I wanted to be, I’d say:

“Something successful. Something creative. Something that doesn’t involve khakis and fax machines.”

(A noble goal in the '90s.)

Here’s the thing: I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t flaky.

I was tired. Driven. Distracted. Overwhelmed. Hopeful. And completely winging it.

Let me paint the scene:

It’s a Tuesday. I’ve got a paper due, a shift at work, and a mental checklist that looks like a ransom note:

  • Build a better résumé
  • Start that business idea
  • Program that thing for that app that is going to be the next big thing.
  • Go to class
  • Find food
  • Call Mom
  • Reinvent self (this is when I got introduced to Tony Robbins)
  • Panic nap

That’s ADHD in your early 20s: ambition and executive dysfunction fighting for control of the same steering wheel.

What I didn’t understand then—but do now—is this:

1. The Forecast Isn’t the Problem. Not Preparing For It Is.

My brain had 80% chance of genius, sure. But it also had 60% chance of spiraling into side quests. I’d start writing a paper and end up researching the psychology of jukebox design. Was it cool? Yes. Was it helpful? Nope.

Today, I build systems around the forecast.

I know my high-energy windows.

I plan for the spirals (and even schedule them).

I carry snacks because I’ll forget to eat.

And I forgive myself when I don’t follow through perfectly—because perfection is a myth, but showing up anyway? That’s progress.

2. Working All the Time Wasn’t a Hustle—It Was a Coping Mechanism.

I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
(Okay, that’s a lie. I was 23 with undiagnosed ADHD, an ego held together by duct tape and ambition, and just enough self-awareness to know I had something to prove—but not enough to stop performing like the world was my personal audition.)

Being a young guy with ADHD is a full-time job. You bounce between “I don’t care what anyone thinks” and “please clap” like a motivational ping pong ball. And if you were a young woman with ADHD? Add an extra layer of invisible expectations, emotional whiplash, and being labeled “too much” for just existing at full wattage.

I worked because I couldn’t not work.

My brain said “keep moving or the self-doubt catches up.” So I moved. I moved so much I didn’t have time to hear myself think.

But eventually I realized:

Work isn’t worth much if it’s all escape.

I had to learn to pause—to sit with my ideas long enough to sort them from the noise. And I’ll be honest, I still mess this up all the time.

Sometimes the pause feels impossible.
Sometimes I sprint right past it into another rabbit hole.
    But when I do catch it? That’s where the clarity is.
That’s where I found direction.

(And yeah—that’s also when it really hit me: oh... this might be very, very ADHD.)

3. You Can Be Full of Ideas and Still Feel Lost. That Doesn’t Mean You’re Broken.

I thought everyone else had a plan.

I thought everyone else knew the next steps.

I didn’t realize most people were guessing too—but without the bonus soundtrack of hyperactive brainstorming and crippling overthinking.

The truth?

You’re allowed to want a lot. You’re allowed to not know how to get it yet.

And if your brain is loud and fast and beautiful and exhausting—welcome. You’re not broken. You’re just playing with a different operating system. And guess what? That system can still win the game once you learn the controls.

Final Thought:

I didn’t write this from a place of “figured it all out.”

I wrote it as someone who learned how to read the forecast, pack an umbrella, and bring snacks for the journey.

So if your brain feels like it’s running Windows 95 on a dial-up connection while also trying to invent Google —

you’re not alone.

You’re early. You’re creative. And you’ve got time.

Enjoyed the ride through my noodle forecast?
If your brain’s been throwing you weather warnings lately, share this with someone else who's trying to turn their chaos into progress. And if you're nodding along thinking, “Yep, this is me,” drop a comment or shoot me a message.
Let’s build a community where overthinkers, dream-chasers, and checklist survivors unite.
Stay noodly, my friends.

#ADHDBrain #StayNoodly #DrNoodleSays #BrainForecast #YoungProfessionalLife #CreativeChaos #HyperfocusMode #ChecklistMentality #ADHDSurvivalGuide #HumorMeImTrying