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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.ecoach.com
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To subscribe, visit www.ecoach.com
INDEX
1. Ben's Note
2. Is Fear Affecting Your Writing?
By Susan Corbin, Ph.D.
3. Words of Wisdom
4. Inspirational QuoteSUMMARY
In this issue, Dr. Susan Corbin shares some ideas
for overcoming your fear and getting back to
writing.We round it out with Words of Wisdom and an
inspirational quote.
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Ben's NoteSeptember 4, 2003
Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,
Well, the summer is "officially" ended. I hope
this letter finds you relaxed and ready to
get back to work.As you may know, my family and I took an Alaskan
cruise and spent some time out in the Northwest.
It was breathtaking.And it's great to be back.
In this issue, Dr. Susan Corbin shares some tips
for letting go of the fear so you can get back
to the writing.We offer Words of Wisdom, and continue with our
Inspirational Quote feature. Thanks to all of
you who have sent quotes in- and if you have
more to share, please send them to
rachna@mentorcoach.com.Enjoy, and see you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Ben============================================
Is Fear Affecting Your Writing?
By Susan Corbin, Ph.D.
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Does working on your dissertation put knots in
your stomach? Have you avoided working on it for
so long that you aren't sure where you filed it?
Have you stared at the computer screen for hours
waiting for the perfect sentence to spring into
your mind?If you answered yes to one or more of these
questions, then fear may be one of your problems.
Anxiety, procrastination, and perfectionism can
all be symptoms of fear.First, as with all problems, recognize that it
is there. The knot in the stomach of anxiety is
pretty easy to recognize as fear. Other symptoms of
fear are less easily recognizable. Procrastination
can be a symptom of fear. Examine what you doing
instead writing. There may actually be more important
things going on in your life that preclude working on
it. Life and death family issues, yes, those are more
important, but cleaning the house is not. The last
symptom is perfectionism. Does everything you
write sound terrible, so you delete it or wad
up the paper?What's behind this fear thing? The most obvious:
you put everything you have into your dissertation
and it is rejected. A close second: you can't finish it.
The direct opposite of these fears is that you will
succeed and everyone will think you are really great.
But you know you are a fraud. There must be something
wrong with the process that didn't weed you out. Ouch!
This is way too much pain and absolutely none
of it is true!What to do? First, stop sabotaging yourself. The voices
in your head (Everyone has them- you are not schizophrenic)-
the voices are telling you that you can't do it and what
were you thinking when you even thought you could.
You can control these voices. When they start, put your
fingers in your ears and say "La-la-la-la." Well, maybe
not actually, but symbolically. Override those negative
thoughts with positive thoughts. "I can do this."
"Others think I can do it and I can."
Now doesn't that sound so much better?To combat the anxiety, ask yourself what is the worst
thing that could happen. If you write it and it's not as
good as it should be, your advisor will give it back and
suggest you re-write it. To combat the procrastination and
perfectionism, get something on paper, even if it's just
stream of conscious thoughts, so that it can be improved.
It is really difficult to know what your thoughts are while
they are still in your head. You can always clean it up later.
Editing is more fun than writing, but you can't edit until you
write.I got through my dissertation by telling myself that it was
no big deal. It is like writing three big papers. You've done
that. Coach Phil Humbert says:In graduate school, an advisor jokingly told us not to worry about
writing our doctoral dissertations. He acknowledged that "no one has
ever actually written a dissertation. We've raised the bar so high,
it's no longer humanly possible. Just go to the library, do a bit of
research, write up your findings, and do it again and again. When
you've done it 100 times, we'll staple them together and call it good
enough."If you don't want to do this on your own, (and I can assure you that
asking for help is not a sign of weakness) get some help. Self help
books, friends, an obliging faculty member, or a coach can help you
recognize and deal with fear. Stewing in it is not fun and it isn't
getting your dissertation written. I know you can do it, so go write.=======================================
About Susan Corbin, Ph.D.
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Susan Corbin, Ph.D. coaches and mentors graduate
students on a daily basis as the Graduate
Coordinator for the Communication Studies Department
at the University of Texas at Austin where she received
her own doctorate in Interpersonal Communication.
She does presentations to graduate students and
undergraduate students about finding their paths.She can be reached
On the web: http://www.susancorbin.com
By email: susan@susancorbin.com
By phone at 512-345-5493.
======================================
Words of Wisdom from New Ph.D.'s.
=======================================**There were moments when I never thought
I would finish.....but victory goes to the
persistent!
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Inspirational Quote
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Several recent graduates have suggested that
we offer an inspirational quote or two to
further motivate and support you. If you
have any quotes that you find really helpful,
please send them to rachna@mentorcoach.comWhether you think you can, or think you can't--
you're right.
-Henry Ford
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Your Own Coach
===================
If you are considering whether to get your own coach
to help you reach your academic goals, send any email
to: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
=============================
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin. He is the founder of MentorCoach
(www.MentorCoach.com), a virtual university
training accomplished mental health professionals
to become extraordinary coaches. With
Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Ben is also the founder of
Authentic Happiness Coaching
(www.AuthenticHappinessCoaching.com), a virtual
university training educators, consultants, trainers,
therapists, parents and other professionals to apply
the principles of Authentic Happiness in their own
lives and in the lives of their clients, students, and
children. Ben lives in suburban Maryland with
his wife and two young children, Walnut, their
hamster, and Rubin, their cocker spaniel.
==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================
I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver. I'm the Editor of the
ABDSG, as well as the Author of "Get It Done!
A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success"
If you'd like to learn more about me or my book, please
visit my website: www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.com
I'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!
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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
================================================
"The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide"(tm) focuses
on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the
roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of
completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the
world.
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Cathy Anway can be at Cathy@mentorcoach and Sunny Bain can
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INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION COACH?
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
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ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
=====================
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Second, please send any email to: FreeAtLast@mentorcoach.com
Within seconds, you'll receive a note from Ben.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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Ben J. Dean, Ph.D
MentorCoach(tm)
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Fax: 301-913-9447
Web: www.ecoach.com/
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(c) Copyright 2003 Ben J. Dean. All rights reserved.
Rachna Jain, Ph.D.
mailto:rachna@mentorcoach.com
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