10/11/2021
https://www.addcountants.com/blog
IN LIFTING OTHERS WE RISE
written by : Kelly Garmon
OCTOBER 5, 2021
For the longest time, I hated corporate America. I always felt like I was just a "number" stuck in a cubicle all day Monday - Friday. I never felt valued, and always felt taken for granted. The fact that I was replaceable made me miserable. My brilliant but unorthodox solutions rarely fit into the standard protocol, making them and me invisible. When I had finally had enough, I walked away vowing to never return. This only made me ashamed for my actions and for 8 long years...
The shame stopped me from opportunities for 8 long years.
When COVID-19 hit America in 2020, I was desperate to make ends meet. I was responsible for myself, 3 children, and 1 man-child. I knew I was an accomplished accountant, but my resume had some "blank spots" on it, making it seem like I was a failure. The shame that developed over the years stopped me from pursuing so many opportunities.
Nonetheless, I submitted my resume to a few companies, expecting the worst. So I came up with Plan B. A plan that involved entrepreneurship. I mean, I had the skills, so why not? It was WAAAYYY out of my comfort zone. But the idea of working for myself without limitations on my opportunities kept me driven. About mid-launch, a doctor told me something that would change every thought I'd ever had, about everything I'd ever experienced in my 41 years of life. They gave me an official diagnosis of a life-long condition that would explain the many symptoms I was experiencing.
I had severe combined type ADHD.
At first, I wasn't totally shocked because I always thought that I'd showed some ADHD symptoms. But it wasn't until the symptoms were too strong for me to control on my own, did it really hit me. Once I started researching ADHD, I discovered that I never really knew the true definition of ADHD. I assumed the reason they put the ADHD or "bad" kids in the special needs classroom, was because they always had extra teachers and more space in them. You can imagine how I felt when I learned that they weren't bad kids at all. They just had different wiring in their brains. Similar to the other kids in the classroom that had much more obvious symptoms.
This meant I too had different wiring. My brain wasn't like "normal" brains. I was defective. And for someone who has always been the "smart" one, I took it pretty hard. In fact, it still humbles me every single day. About this same time I got a call from an Intuit recruiter who was responding to the resume I had submitted. He offered me a position as a QuickBooks Live Bookkeeper. Accepting was a no-brainer! This offer meant a steady source of income. But it was corporate America, so naturally I was skeptical.
So I pressed forward toward my vision.
I was trying to decide on a niche market, when I stumbled across an article by Coach Linda Walker that talked about ADHD and entrepreneurship. She said that ADHD entrepreneurs tend to struggle with the financial aspects of their business. Right then my mouth dropped open and my MacBook slid right off my lap. Not only am I good at that stuff, but I also can relate to these business owners because I'm wired just like them. I knew exactly how it felt to exist in a neurotypical world. Through my own experiences, I realized just how much my fellow hyper-focused CEOs needed someone like me to alleviate them from their financial frustrations.
Intuit successfully changed my outlook on corporate America. There, I get to go to work as my true self, and I'm valued every day! Lucky for me, Intuit has embraced neurodiversity, so I get to be a part of many neurodiverse projects. I've been able to grow as a person and impact many people by raising awareness about ADHD in the workplace. I am so proud of the impact that it is making. The fulfillment I feel knowing that I'm helping my like-minded peers, has given me one thing...
Clarity.
Despite my delay in diagnosis, I am truly grateful for the clarity that I have gained from this experience. I always knew I was a passionate person, but before this, I never really had a "why" or knew my true "purpose" for this life. Now I know exactly why I'm here and what I'm supposed to do.
ADDcountants
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together once & for all!
