Blog #525: The "Extra Mashed Potatoes" Saying and Why It's Important When it Comes to Setting Healthy Employment Goals for Neurodivergent Job Seekers?

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As we start on 2026, I'm pretty sure many of us are thinking of what we want to accomplish in the new year. For many, it's about accomplishing a specific goal whether it'd be to be more healthy, more engaging or setting boundaries to make yourself healthy and happy.

But, there are some goals that people build over time and will stop at nothing to achieve those goals, where we tend to put quantity over quality on that specific goal. In the 5 years since I founded Going the Distance, I have had to learn that sometimes there less is more, not just for the good of something like Going the Distance, but also for myself as a whole.

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I actually have a saying that reflects this statement called "The Extra Mashed Potatoes Theory" which means that we want more and more without limitations. Take it from me, I wanted to expand on doing more speaking engagements for example. I wanted to speak at a variety of conferences, comic conventions, etc., but the issue was that a majority of these would be unpaid and pro bono. Metaphorically, I was asking for an extra helping of mashed potatoes and therefore allowing my business to take on more than it should have.

What makes it even more noticeable was that I was not realizing that I was handicapping my business by taking on more, just like I was handicapping my overall health with huge portions of food and not getting exercise, sitting around all day doing nothing.

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And it's not just business that the "Extra Mashed Potatoes" theory is used, but also in personal matters as well. For example, you may see someone throw themselves into a job that is doing more harm than good, such as working at a Walmart for example. You clearly don't want to be there, the place is disgusting, the management sucks and the customers are rude. Still, you want more hours and are more than willing to sacrifice your overall health and happiness for something that you don't like.

Let's pretend for a moment that the asking for more hours at places like Wal-Mart and McDonald's is like taking on an extra helping of mashed potatoes. By asking for more hours at a job you don't like, you are taking on an extra helping of food that you don't need. It's bad for your health and that you could be doing healthier alternative jobs that are best for your health and allow you to have a balanced lifestyle, just like a balanced diet.

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I bring up this "Extra Mashed Potatoes" theory because as neurodivergent individuals are continuing their never ending quest to find suitable jobs, many are being put into jobs that are just like working at McDonald's or Wal Mart simply because it's the best fit for them on account it forces socialization, gets them out of the house and allows them to contribute to society.

However, our neurodivergent minds sometimes have a hard time speaking up and learning to say that this is not the job I want because it would be too much for me to take. Most job agencies for neurodivergent individuals tend to put their clients in jobs like retail and some may find those jobs to be enjoyable, but much like there are more healthier food options like fruits and vegetables, there are more job options out there that neurodivergent individuals can look at that isn't the "extra mashed potatoes" options.

You could look at something like "data entry" that is like being at Starbucks and instead of ordering a venti hot chocolate that is 450 calories, you order a grande sized lemonade that is only around 100 calories. There is also working in a library that is like switching grocery store chains that don't offer healthier options to something that offers healthier options like Whole Foods.

The trouble is that we don't realize that until it is too late because not everyone can live on a healthy lifestyle by eating and drinking junk food, fast food in the same manner as working in an unhealthy workplace. What's more, some of us have a hard time speaking up and are unable to voice our concerns when we need to do so. For example, if you want to pursue a career that makes you happy, but end up in a position you don't want to be in, you are being fed "extra mashed potatoes" when you don't want them.

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So, in conclusion, if you are working for a job support agency or disability services agency, take into consideration what is best for the individual and the job they may want is like keeping the "extra mashed potatoes" off the plate. Sending neurodivergent individuals into strictly retail and fast food restaurants means that they are getting extra mashed potatoes that they don't need. There are even parents or guardians that simply want to get their loved one out of the house for a couple of hours and will force them to get a job that they would not like. That's serving them extra mashed potatoes that they don't need.

Sometimes, helping a neurodivergent individual obtain a job that is a healthy fit for them takes time and patience. This can be visualized in the "Ensure" Commercials, where the healthy foods represent the healthier job options and the junk foods represent the unhealthier (extra mashed potatoes) jobs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSC9911lJ7g

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Catch you all later!!