It is less a long-term project than an extended series of short-term ones.An adult with ADD looks back on his life to see countless plans never fully realized and intentions unfulfilled. “I am a person of permanent potential,” one patient said. Surges of initial enthusiasm quickly ebb. People report unfinished retainer walls begun over a decade ago, partly constructed boats taking up garage space year after year, courses begun and quit, books half read, business ventures forsaken, stories or poetry unwritten—many, many roads not traveled.