My son started playing soccer at age 10. He is now 11 and is convinced he will be a soccer star on the MLS team of his choosing. In just one year of playing, he thinks he’s enough to be a star. He has ADHD and a very strong imagination. I have to say, I myself am guilty of some outlandish ideas. Thoughts that I’ll do something that really, I’m not practiced enough or otherwise prepared to do. Perhaps this is connected to the ADHDer’s tendency to fantasize a lot. We tune out reality and get lost in a world of our own design. It’s a treat at times – when I’m bored at a red light while driving or when I get up before my alarm but don’t want to get out of bed yet. Those fantasies keep me occupied. But sometimes, the failure of a fantasy to materialize in real living color can be painful and leave a scar. There are entire careers I thought I’d have and now, in middle age, I realize they will never be. Seeing someone take those paths can be a painful reminder of what was sought after but never achieved. As I fear will happen to my son when he realizes his 3 hours of practicing a week starting at age 10 will not result in him becoming a star. (No, he doesn’t have natural ability.) The key is not to get lost in it. Those grandiose dreams may not appear as I so strongly believed they would as a child, but there are always other avenues to take in life. I heard the KFC guy didn’t start until middle age and Louse Hay was also over 49 when she hit major popularity. Today, I’m motivated to try and find that new thing. If anything, so I can show my son, there’s more than just your grand fantasies.