The Eclectic Writer

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Challenge: Daily Devotions for the Common Christian”

Born Again at a young age, Micheal has often struggled with his walk with the Lord. Throughout his life he has been compared to many Biblical figures but has always felt he failed in his life and his walk with God. Being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to many of his neurodivergent traits. Though he often argues with God, he is a firm believer in Christ Jesus and it through that faith that he continues the daily struggles he’s faced with.

He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

When I was eighteen, I was introduced to the idea that problems are just opportunities in disguise. It was an interesting concept to me at the time and I began to look at troubling issues as a chance to work through difficulties in order to come up with a solution. The idea, when given the explanation, can be encouraging. But, without context, the wording can be discouraging and disheartening.

Referring to all problems as opportunities.

It can be encouraging to see complications as a chance to make difficult decisions in order to grow and come out on top. On the other hand, it can be demoralizing when those problems are seemingly insurmountable and a solution cannot be reached in a timely manner.

So, what are some issues that might use interchangeable wording?

* Flat Tire

* Missing Something

* Change in Work Position

The list is short and by no means all-encompassing, but these situations can be both a problem and an opportunity depending on the circumstances in which they occur. Let’s have a look at them one by one.

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Flat Tire

Situation One:

You’re getting ready to head out for a day with the family. Your daughter is with you when you go out to load the car. She notices that you have a flat tire and points it out to you. Those who change tires on their own, with no special equipment, can usually change a tire within fifteen minutes. For people who aren’t used to it, it could take a bit longer.

Now the problem is a flat tire. The situation is a casual one. The opportunity is the chance to teach your daughter how to change a tire. When you look at it as a teaching situation the problem becomes something positive.

Situation Two:

You’re driving down the freeway and you get a flat tire. Not taking into account the weather, you still have to make it to the side of the road and get out of traffic. Then you have to change that tire while cars are driving past at highway speeds. You’re also on your way to work and the fifteen minutes to change the tire will likely make you late. And everyone who changes tires knows, it’s not a clean job. The same problem is not an opportunity.

Missing Something

Situation One:

You’ve been looking for something off and on for weeks. It’s one of those things that you don’t really need to have right away but it’s driving you crazy because you haven’t been able to find it yet. One day, with no obligations that day, you decide to do a room-by-room search. During your search, you end up organizing, cleaning, and getting rid of things you no longer need or want. Without realizing it, you turned a problem into an opportunity and whether you found the item or not, you feel better because you accomplished something.

Situation Two:

You’ve been looking for something off and on for weeks. It was one of those things that you didn’t really need right away but now it has become a must-have. You’ve searched high and low and the deadline came up unexpectedly. You need to have that missing item now. You don’t have time to do a room-by-room search. You don’t have time to clean everything in order to find it. You have enough time to make a bigger mess and you still may not find it. Without it, you can get into a lot of trouble. This is a problem, not an opportunity.

Change in Work Position

Situation One:

Your boss comes to you with an offer to change departments. She tells you that this is an opportunity for you to grow with the company. The problem is that you don’t get along with the supervisor in that department. While you may grow with the company, you’re not sure if you can find a way to put your differences aside and work with the supervisor. Now you have two opportunities. You have a chance to grow in the company and you have the chance to grow in your relationship with people you normally wouldn’t get along with.

Situation Two:

Your boss comes to you and says she has an opportunity. They don’t tell you what it is and their tone of voice doesn’t give you any indication that it’s something positive. You’ve been ingrained to hear that opportunity is another word for problem. You panic. You believe your job may be in danger. You feel like you are going to be punished.

Inability to differentiate between an opportunity and a problem.

Since 1995, and possibly longer, the words problem and opportunity have become synonymous with each other. At the beginning of the trend, the explanation of how a problem can become an opportunity was explained. Over the years, the explanation faded away and it was accepted that the word problem meant opportunity. As with any words that are considered to be the same thing, those who don’t get a clear view of the situation hear the word opportunity and think problem.

So when a situation occurs and someone says that there is an opportunity that needs to be addressed, stress levels tend to rise. Defenses go up. Resistance is the first response and the focus is entirely on the problem.

Words can be a tricky thing. When opposite words become interchangeable the meanings of those words becomes blurred. The speaker may mean one thing but the hearer can decipher it as the opposite.

Call It What It Is.

A problem can lead to an opportunity but not all opportunities are problems. It’s time to go back to the time when it was clear which was which. If there is a problem, call it a problem and then follow it up with an explanation of an opportunity that could come from it. By doing this, there is clear communication of what the situation actually is.

A problem doesn’t have to be daunting if the opportunity is reasonable and realistic. If there is an actual opportunity that is not based on a problem, make it clear that it is a positive opportunity. This will allay the fear that you really mean a problem. This will make the ensuing conversation easier. By removing the tension from the start the defenses are easier to get through because they haven’t been solidified by misinterpretation.

If a problem is a problem with no immediate chance for growth, then leave it as a problem.

If a problem offers room for growth, then call it a problem with a viable solution.

Explain opportunities as what they are. Positive situations that allow growth.

Problems and opportunities are words that are opposites and using them interchangeably causes stress and defense mechanisms to any conversation that contains those words. It’s time to end the trend and call things by what they are.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

“This is some sick joke.” Serene backed out of the Atrium and into the hallway she came from. As she turned around, she noticed that the pictures had changed. When she saw them earlier, the ones closest to this end were post-apocalyptic. Now, they were closer to elysian fields.

Soldiers on horseback. Armies on foot. Bodies on the ground. The scenes grew worse as she made her way back to the split in the hall. The pictures had changed order and became more gruesome.

Mysterious note.

Dining room ghosts.

Disturbing pictures with a dark theme.

Her own voice.

How did she get herself into this situation?

It started with a phone call.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

I allowed myself to ramble a bit. It’s been a rough week and we’re not through with it yet.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

Humans have the tendency to base their reactions on what they see. Their impressions are controlled by their eyes. It’s an instinctive response. You might think that the more intelligent you are, the less controlled by those instincts you become. Sadly, that is not the truth. If you watch the news at all, the impression is that people only see the surface and make their judgments based on that alone. Forget the facts. Those can be filled in and ignored later. Beyond judging based on sight impression, humans despise being wrong.

What we see on the outside.

For millennia, mankind has looked at the color of a person’s skin to make multiple determinations. For most of history, it had nothing to do with whether the person was of equal value to them or not. It was a way to determine if the other person was of the same region or if they were a foreigner. The judgment of whether or not they could be allies had nothing to do with the color of their skin. If they were foreigners, precautions were taken. Weapons at the ready. Attempts to communicate. Wariness of the intentions of the other.

It was a matter of survival, not racism.

Throughout most of mankind’s history, skin color wasn’t a factor in how another person was treated. Most of the time it was whether or not someone thought that the other culture held the same values as them. Whether or not they held the same beliefs.

The traditions of other cultures were strange and conclusions were made rather hastily. Sometimes incorrectly, sometimes correctly. The clothes they wore, the way they spoke, how they treated others were all indications that helped one culture decide to trust or not to trust another culture. Over time, cultural differences were set aside for mutual benefits.

It’s understandable that when someone who has only seen others who look the same as they do to be hesitant when they see someone who doesn’t. There’s a curiosity and a caution that exists when a person of dark skin sees, for the first time, someone with light skin. That doesn’t mean that there is hatred. It doesn’t mean there is judgment. It doesn’t mean anything except that it’s a first-time experience.

What is not seen on the inside.

Outside of a laboratory or morgue, the inside of the human body is rarely seen. The average person might not be able to tell you what color a particular organ is. They can make guesses but on average that’s all they would be. A guess.

Here’s a breakdown of the colors of some of the organs in the human body.

* Brain: Most people think that the brain is grey. While that’s partially true, it’s only grey when it lacks oxygen and blood flow. In other words, when it’s dead. The healthy living human brain is a combination of white, black, and pink.

* Skeleton: That one most people will get. The human skeleton, in fact, all skeletons, is white. The marrow may be brown, grey, or black but that is determined by health conditions.

* Lungs: Healthy lungs are pink in color.

* Heart: You guessed it if you said the heart was red.

* Liver: Reddish-brown

* Pancreas: Tan and pinkish

* Kidneys: Reddish-brown

* Spleen: Reddish-purple

* Thyroid: Brownish-red

* Skin: Skin color is determined by melanin content and health conditions.

Color does matter.

Let’s go back to the brain for a moment. The healthy living human brain is a combination of white, black, and pink.

“The human brain color physically appears to be white, black, and red-pinkish while it is alive and pulsating. Images of pink brains are relative to its actual state. The brains we see in movies are detached from the blood and oxygen flow result to exhibit white, gray, or have a yellow shadow.”

https://memoryos.com/article/brain-color-its-not-always-rainbows-and-butterflies

There’s more to the colors of the brain than a simple answer can give. Neuron flow, nerves, chemicals, and other factors influence the colors of the brain. It’s not just black and white.

What about the liver? Much like the brain, you can’t see the color of the liver — or any other organ — from the outside. So you have to rely on the colors that appear on the outside, or at least outside enough to see. The skin tends to take on a yellow hue. The whites of the eyes become faded and yellowish. The colors of the eyes, not the iris but the sclera, can give indications of a person’s health.

The color of the skin can give indicators of internal health, give regional and genetic background, and determine the level of protection from ultra-violet radiation. What it can’t do is determine who a person is.

What makes you who you are?

You have a brain, a heart, lungs, a pancreas, liver, and a myriad of other organs inside your body. Held together by tendons, ligaments, muscles, and nerves. All of those things are held inside the body by your skin. If your skin was green with purple polka dots it would still serve the same purpose as skin that was brown, white, pink, or black.

Are you your brain or is that just a part of who you are? What about the lungs, liver, bladder, or intestines? Those are just parts of who you are. Your blood doesn’t designate whether you succeed or fail. Your hair color doesn’t decide if you’re a good person or a bad one. Your eye color has no power to show your intelligence or morality. If your organs don’t determine who you are, why should your skin?

The skin is just another organ. It is not a determination of a person’s being. It does not decide if someone will become a criminal or an upstanding citizen. The skin cannot infuse morals or hatred. It is a part of the human body along with all the other organs. The organs are only part of your physical construction. Your body is only part of who you are.

Why does skin color matter?

It matters as an indicator of your health. When the skin color changes it indicates issues within your body that should be addressed. The color of the skin also helps to deflect UV rays. Those who have darker skin have natural protection while those with light skin develop darker skin for the same purpose. That’s not to say UV rays aren’t harmful to those with dark skin, but that’s another topic. Spots on the skin, discoloration, colors around wounds all indicate the health and well-being of a person.

The color of the skin, however, does nothing to determine who you are. If you accept that you are more than your skin, more than your organs, more than your body, then you can accept that everyone else is too.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify,  Audible,  Amazon Music,  YouTube music, and many more places.

Serene moves further into the house and begins to experience strange happenings.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube music, and many more places.

Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.

As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube music, and many more places.

Neurodivergent Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

​​I think, and tell me if I'm wrong, but one of the things that can keep a person from making good traction is trying to do too many things at once. Without traction, knowing when to quit becomes more complicated and distorts the analysis of progress.

Depression hits you like rain from a clear blue sky. Like this one did to me.