Q: I am a 36-year-old male and find it difficult to concentrate on one thing for too long. I cannot seem to get any project off the ground on my own. Basically I can't self motivate myself. This is the reason I do not do well in my area of work. It’s very frustrating because I do not know what will help me. I have tried doing a lot of things like art of living and yoga but nothing seems to work for me. I am a hardworking person with high ambitions but seem to generate a new ambition every day, thereby cannot get anywhere. Is this attention deficit disorder?

A:The very short response would be "NO" – This is not Attention Deficit Disorder. "I cannot concentrate on any one thing for long" - "I can't self motivate myself" - "seem to generate a new ambition everyday" These three statements in themselves are pretty contradictory. I feel the real issue is that you spend a lot of time analysing and introspecting and probably worrying (whichever word would fit you best). And, that is the impediment to putting plans into action. Worry leads to less work and that leads to more worry and so on and so forth till it becomes a vicious cycle requiring help from a psychologist initially. The basic principles are: 1. No body can get any project off the ground on their own. Projects are teamwork and have to involve liaison and sharing. 2. One should be able to enjoy the work they are doing rather than waiting and hoping to do the work they enjoy. 3. For any work to be done – a framework needs to be made first and then steps of what needs to be done when and that needs to be carried out in that order. A system needs to be put in place, which will ensure that work can be completed. For e.g. like if one gets into the habit of making a routine for the day and writes down tasks to be accomplished that day and prioritises them and gets about doing them with an analysis of the tasks done / could not be done / reasons for both and specific plans to remove the hurdles - success can be got. 4. Success in day-to-day life should be measured in small steps and measures. These add up to a big picture finally.