My Business Bar Mitzvah! 13 Years of Entrepreneurship!

2024 has been the year of F-O-C-U-S:? Focus on my?kids' mental health, my wife's mental health,?my mental health, and our family's mental health. This has been my FOCUS.? The monthly?coordination and logistics of mental health providers is a work load that usually remains invisible.?

My talented wife and co-parent in crime, Lori Mihalich-Levin ,?has been writing about the evolution of our 2024 on her blog, and I am linking here a few of her relevant posts:??The Learning Curve - and Mental Load - of a Diagnosis ?and 3-H's for Providing Support: Hug, Help, or Heard ???

As I celebrate 13 years of Ready Set Launch LLC (aka my Business Bar Mitzvah!), I am SO?grateful.? In so many ways.? I have chosen work (or the work chose me) that?allows for a level of flexibility so that my lovely wife and I can co-manage all of this.? So in my 13th year as an entrepreneur I will?celebrate three?personal and professional accomplishments in this post.? ?

1) Know Thyself - Entering Into an ADHD Diagnosis

It turns out Socrates' statement, "Know Thyself"?applies just as equally in 2024 as it did in ancient Greece when he wrote about it.

Blocking time for?intentional moments of?self-reflection and acting on those self-reflections continues to be meaningful.? Even more so in this year.?

Holding myself accountable to become more self-aware has allowed me to be even more my authentic self not only to my family and friends but also to my speaking/training clients and coaching engagements.?

For decades, I knew I had?some version of ADHD.?

That I really never did anything about it was something I joked about.? The internal lie I was telling myself was,?"Who was I really hurting?" and "Was it really that big of a deal?"? This past?year, one of my sons was diagnosed with ADHD. As his psychiatrist discussed his ADHD treatment options, she?said, "Honestly, if you focus on the ADHD, then you will also reduce his anxiety."

I was hit like a baseball bat to the head.? "Stop the presses! What?! There is a relationship between anxiety and ADHD?" Then my next thought was, "I know I have ADHD. Do I have anxiety too?" and "How might that show?up for me?"

My?mind was blown, and my internal monologue about ADHD had fundamentally changed.? I needed to do more work on myself and?take?action. Further discussions with my therapist and my wife gave me clarity on my ADHD flavor (yes, ADHD comes in multiple flavors, and if it was up to me I would pick a scoop of cookie monster and a scoop of Phish Food).?

ADHD is not about the lack of focus, but rather it is?a world of "over focus" and "under focus."

2) Celebrating my Radio Station?- Replaying Conversations?

Back to focus,?and welcome to my world of "over focus."

There is a concept known as the "racing brain", for people who have ADHD.? The racing brain generates multiple?competing thoughts in real time, making it hard for people with ADHD to tune out what is directly in front of them.? Some mental experts refer to this as "multiple radio stations playing at the same time" and not knowing which one to tune into at any moment in time.

Using the radio station analogy, I wanted to share my most recurring radio station?and?also celebrate its?practical?applications in my work. I was a socially awkward as a kid and had?difficulty?making?friends.? Having ADHD as a child, it is quite common to miss social cues.? When should I?speak?? When should I?listen?? What did you actually hear?? ?

Kids with ADHD tend to monologue and don't stop to see if the other person is listening. Additionally, it is also common for people with ADHD to blurt things out inadvertently, and sometimes at in opportune moments.

Nonverbal cues were a foreign concept to me as a kid, and I never even knew if?the other person was actually interested in what I was saying.?

Hence, the birth of my first ADHD radio station. A conversation?radio station. Honestly,? I cannot remember a time when?I did not have a conversation radio station.? As a way to combat the awkwardness, I would play?and replay?conversations in my head.? Past conversations. Potential conversations.? What if I said something different, would that have been better in that moment? Maybe if I asked the question differently?? Did I talk too much? Not enough? What I was missing?

Not surprising, I was voted most talkative guy when I graduated high school.? I was mistaken?for an?extrovert, but in reality I was still figuring out my own ADHD.? At?17, I was actually shocked that people thought I talked too much.? REALLY? ? At 17, my conversation radio station evolved.? How I could be a better listener? How can I pause? Can I enjoy the silence and process what someone has said to me??

For the past 30 years I have often asked myself, what is the better question? How can I embrace silence? How can I slow down? Does the person need?more to time to process what I just said? Maybe there is a follow up question I can pose to what the other person just said?

Many think I was always at ease with people and that I always found connection easy. Not true at all.? This has been a long and bumpy road.? Seeking connection has been a 40+ year journey which I am still on.?? My interest in people, connection and conversation has been born out of my ADHD.

My desire to find a better way to connect.? My desire to be more human.? My desire to be a better spouse.? A better father.? A better family member. A?better friend.? A better speaker and trainer.? A better coach.? Overall, a better listener.

Of course, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell , To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink and Give and Take by Adam Grant are my favorite books.? These topics address the complexity of relationships and how the academic research and social science can be a guide to develop authentic and genuine connection.???

3) Celebrating Work with Some Amazing Enterprise Clients As I reflect on my 13th year of Ready Set Launch LLC, I am proud of so much.? Here are some highlights:

• Co-Presenting with my talented wife Lori Mihalich-Levin at a Women's Empowerment Conference . SO MUCH FUN!
• 90 reviews on Amazon for Relationships to Infinity , including a thoughtful book review from Troutman Pepper .
• Celebrating 20 years on LinkedIn, having joined on January, 2004.
• In-person and virtual leadership training and speaking engagements at the intersection of business development and career development with Heidrick and Struggles , Groom Law Group , National Academy of Sciences , National Summer Learning Association , Business Development Directors Boardroom ,?LMA Mid Atlantic Conference ,?NALP PDI ,?New York City Bar Association , and?ACC .

It has been a wild ride, and I cannot wait to see what year 14 will bring.

In Gratitude, Jason