In Defense of Impulsivity and Randomness

A personal reflection on 2025 and embracing my ADHD brain

As 2025 draws to a close, we see reflections everywhere—from Spotify Wrapped to best-of lists and thank-yous on LinkedIn. These data-driven retrospectives attempt to capture who we are as people, and I love them for their fun, light-hearted nature. However, as we look forward to 2026, we also encounter advice on how to achieve success, often based on manifesting and setting intentions. This post will not be that. This post will maybe feel abrupt and like it jumps from one idea to the next. In other words, this post is peak ADHD.

Why I don't manifest

I stopped setting intentions, or new years resolutions years ago. And, as you can probably guess, I don't subscribe to manifesting. Manifesting is the core belief that what we ourselves believe about an outcome can influence our behaviour in a way that makes that outcome more likely to occur. And of course, our thoughts influence our behaviour. But being intentional is in no way the only way to become successful.

For me, 2024 and 2025 have been wild rides, marked by my ADHD diagnosis and the launch of my own business. But this isn't a story about how I achieved success through manifestation—it's about embracing imperfections and getting comfortable with cringe. Cringe, to me, means taking action even when it's not perfect. It's about looking back and thinking, "Why did I do/say that?" But cringe beats manifesting for me because it's about action, not just thought.

For me, thinking is paralyzing. Don't get me wrong, I love to think. I am still half French so intellectualism, and philosophy are hobbies. I love exploring ideas. However, the danger there is that it all stays in my head. And that's not surprising. As an ADHD'er I have been told I am too loud, too present, too much on many occasions. I should make more space for others to share their ideas. I should hold back because I can't always be the one coming up with stuff. Result: making the step from thought to action is now fraught with risks. Because what if I am too much again? What if my idea is imperfect and I am told that acting on it is impulsive? Truth is, thinking too much, out of fear I wasn't thinking enough has done me little good. And I doubt it has done those around me good either.

Like many ADHD'ers, I actually stopped doing because that felt like the opposite of impulsive and maybe that would mean I could feel safe. All it did was stifle my natural abilities. So, right now, I have fully embraced cringe. I welcome impulsivity and lack of foresight. Will it mean I make mistakes and perhaps do damage? Sometimes yes. But it also means I at least do something. It means that those things I always wanted are coming closer, and I even discover new desires I never knew I had.

Is cringe part of ADHD?

ADHD is marked by impulsive behaviour. Doing before we think. This obviously can lead to outcomes that looking back make you cringe. The "I can't believe I did that!" stuff of life. But, honestly not making new cringe memories are just a sign of stagnation. So, I now embrace not just cringe, but the fact that I might be more impulsive than others due to my ADHD. I embrace cringing back because of Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. I understand my thoughts are sometimes cruel but not actually reality. I know how they are caused by wanting to fit in to a world that wasn't made for my brain. I welcome floundering because I just do, rather than walk a meticulously crafted path that will guarantee a certain result. Because if I take any other approach, I will stand still. If I try approaches that are suitable to brains with enough dopamine, it will leave just another sense of failure. So for anyone who wonders why I am so happy with my label? It's because of this. It allows me to access a fundamental understanding of how I operate and turn that thought into action, into measurable growth.

Conclusions

In the end, embracing my ADHD and the cringe moments has allowed me to grow. I may be seen as inspirational and brave, but I consider myself privileged. I have the support and stability to be boldly myself, and that makes all the difference. I have a partner who not only deeply loves me but is curious about my journey and his own growth. I have two gorgeous girls who are healthy and happy and know they are loved. I own property, which means I have stability. I have friends who love me enough to challenge me and comfort me. This means that I can embrace not being everything to the world or playing it safe. So, don't let me dictate your actions. Trust that there's always a way to do things that aligns with your individuality. The key to discovering your unique path lies in understanding yourself and how you function. But if you want support in translating how your team can tap into different brain potentials, let me know. Happy to help.

Want to talk? Set aside some time with me for 2026 >> Booking Inquiries