Finding Focus Through Loss: My Father’s Impact on My Path Forward

For as long as I can remember, my life has been a whirlwind of ideas, tasks, and endless lists. Diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, I was the master multitasker — constantly jumping from one thought to the next, filling countless journals with to-dos and goals in a desperate attempt to organize the chaos in my head.

But despite all my efforts, I often felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was moving fast, but somehow, I wasn’t making progress. My big dreams felt distant, always out of reach.

Then, everything changed.

The sudden loss of my father hit me harder than I could’ve imagined. Grief consumed me, and with it came a new awareness of just how short life is. For the first time, I understood the importance of truly focusing on what matters most.

I’ll never forget standing alone in my father’s office.

It was cluttered yet brilliant — a space filled with his notebooks, lists, and endless attempts at organization. He was the most accomplished person I knew, always hard-working and driven.

But in that moment, as I looked around, I saw something deeper. His chaos felt familiar to me. He had probably dealt with the same whirlwind of ideas, goals, and distractions that I had. I’m convinced he had ADHD too.