🌄 REALISTIC
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Being realistic isn’t about playing small—it’s about knowing the terrain. For ADHDers, whose minds may dart between extremes, being realistic provides stability. It’s not a limit; it’s a foundation. It lets you dream in colour and plan in steps. It’s the wisdom of knowing your resources, your rhythms, and the realities of your world.
In the ADHD terrain, it’s common to oscillate between grand ambitions and deep discouragement. Big ideas can spark hyperfocus, but the follow-through can collapse under time blindness, executive dysfunction, or perfectionism. Realism brings compassionate clarity. It says: “You can still build something beautiful—just not all at once.”
Living this value means adapting your plans to your present—not to lower your expectations, but to ground your energy. It means asking, “What’s true today?” and building from there. It’s the art of adjusting goals without abandoning your values.
Being realistic lets you stretch without snapping. It invites flexibility, sustainability, and gentler self-talk. For ADHDers, it’s a way to honour both our vision and our limits—with dignity, not defeat.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Am I chasing an ideal—or taking steps that truly fit my life?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who grows with integrity—not from pressure, but from presence.
- People and Pursuits: Who helps me stay grounded? What goals or routines are big enough to matter, and small enough to begin?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll scale back one task or plan to make it doable—not perfect, but real.
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- ADHDers may set unrealistic goals during hyperfocus or shame spirals.
- All-or-nothing thinking can distort what’s “enough.”
- Self-worth may be tied to ambition, making realism feel like settling.
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Realistic
- Use the 7+ rule: Only commit to actions you’re 70% likely to follow through on.
- Plan with post-storm you in mind—build in recovery time.
- Replace “I should” with “What’s workable today?”
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- What’s one area where I can be more honest about my current capacity?
- How does it feel when I choose realism over fantasy—or over failure?
- How might being realistic actually bring me closer to my long-term goals?
Realistic isn’t boring—it’s brave. It’s how ADHDers learn to thrive without burning out, to build steadily instead of chasing the crash.
