🌟 EXCELLENCE
“Excellence is not being the best; it is doing your best.” – Unknown
Excellence is the glow that emerges when you bring your full self—focus, heart, imperfection and all—to something that matters. For people with ADHD, excellence has often been misunderstood. We’ve been told we “have so much potential” while also being labelled inconsistent, chaotic, or underachieving. But true excellence doesn’t live in flawless output—it lives in deep alignment with who you are and what you value.
In ADHD terrain, excellence is about honouring your way of doing things, not copying someone else’s checklist. It’s about the hours you spent hyperfocused on a passion project. The care you put into something others rushed through. The creativity you brought when traditional routes didn’t work.
This value also protects against the burnout of perfectionism. Excellence isn’t the same as exhausting yourself to meet impossible standards. It’s about asking: “What’s my best today—given my energy, my tools, and what really matters?” Some days, that’s showing up with brilliance. Other days, it’s getting out of bed and trying again.
When we redefine excellence for ourselves, we stop chasing approval and start cultivating integrity. We move not for applause, but for meaning.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Am I striving for something that reflects my values—or someone else’s expectations?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who pursues excellence as alignment—not perfection.
- People and Pursuits: Who sees my excellence even when it’s subtle? What pursuits bring out the best in me because I care, not because I have to?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll offer my best to something—not my everything, just my best.
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- Perfectionism can mask ADHD-related shame and lead to burnout.
- Fear of falling short may lead to avoidance of things we care deeply about.
- External praise systems often don’t recognize nonlinear or process-based brilliance.
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Excellence
- Define “your best” for today—then let it be enough.
- Reflect on a time when you felt proud of your effort, not just the result.
- Ask yourself: “What would excellence feel like if it came from self-respect, not pressure?”
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- What does excellence mean to me, when I strip away fear and comparison?
- Where have I shown excellence recently—quietly, creatively, or courageously?
- What might shift if I believed excellence and humanity could coexist?
Excellence isn’t about outshining others—it’s about lighting up what’s true in you. And when you let that shine, the path becomes a little clearer for everyone else, too.
