They call it: ~~Always chasing something new~~ We call it

Trailblazer

Also known as novelty seeking.

The short version New things pull you in. You’re the one who goes first, starts the thing and tries the untried.

Sounds like you?

You volunteer before you know what the job is.
You start the club, the band, the business, the group chat.
You take the path you haven’t walked, just to see.

Why it’s a power

New is fuel for you. A fresh project, place or problem gets your full attention, where the familiar gets a yawn. Researchers call that pull novelty seeking. It puts you at the front of the line for anything untried.

It shows up in who starts businesses. In a study of about 9,800 Dutch university students, those with ADHD were about 1.7 times as likely to plan a business and about twice as likely to have begun one.^{Source 1} Another study found it was hyperactive traits that went with starting things. Inattentive traits went the other way.^{Source 2} Adults with ADHD also rate themselves as more “up for anything” than other adults do.^{Source 3}

Starting is different from succeeding. The student study’s authors are clear that it says nothing about whether those businesses worked. Going first gets you in the door. What happens next takes other powers, and other people.

Studied

A large student study and a study of entrepreneurs. They show who starts things. They say nothing about whether those things succeed.

Where it shines

Starting a club or a business
The first day somewhere new
Jobs where every day is different

The flip side

Starting is your sweet spot and the long middle is not. A new idea can also pull you away from one that was about to work.

Power-up: try this today

Write down your newest idea, then tell it to one person who loves finishing things.

Say it to a kid

You’re an explorer with a brand new map. You want to see what’s over the next hill before anyone else does.

Someone who has this one

Paris Hilton

Entrepreneur, DJ and media personality

I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur that I am today without it. So I really see it as my superpower and my sparkle.

Said in: Hilton on ABC News, 2026

Paris Hilton was diagnosed with ADHD in her twenties. She has described being called lazy and dumb as a kid, and says the diagnosis was a relief.

Trailblazer Yes Mode

Lisa Ling

Journalist and TV host

In a strange way I do feel like it has helped me. I can hyperfocus on things that I am excited and passionate about.

Said in: Ling on Understood

Lisa Ling was diagnosed with inattentive-type ADHD at 40, while making a documentary about ADHD. She says she felt relieved.

Laser Lock Trailblazer

Where this comes from

Lerner, D. A., Verheul, I., & Thurik, A. R. (2019). Entrepreneurship and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a large-scale study involving the clinical condition of ADHD. Small Business Economics, 53(2), 381-392. Read it
Wiklund, J., Yu, W., Tucker, R., & Marino, L. D. (2017). ADHD, impulsivity and entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(6), 627-656. Read it
Hargitai, L. D., Laan, E. L. M., Schippers, L. M., Livingston, L. A., Fairchild, G., Shah, P., & Hoogman, M. (2025). The role of psychological strengths in positive life outcomes in adults with ADHD. Psychological Medicine, 55, e278. Read it

No. 10: Turbo Engine

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