|
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE™ The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide™ 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. Want to become a coach?New MentorCoach Training Programs launching. Subscribe to our other no-cost ezines: Visit Ben Dean's Live Coaching Workshops in Dallas, Austin, St Louis & Detroit. INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION
COACH? Email: ben16-76471@autocontractor.com. You will receive an email outlining the application process. Simply follow the instructions and submit the form. Your application will then be forwarded to potential coaches so that you might arrange a free initial consultation. Various fee plans are available. A FAVOR ARCHIVE |
Devoted to providing practical strategies for completing
your Doctoral Dissertation.™
Be sure to place us on the white list or approved
list for your incoming email. To subscribe, go to www.abdsurvivalguide.com.
To unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this email. Please
forward this newsletter to your friends!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE - March 11, 2009
1. Note from the Editor
What's Luck Got to Do with It?
March 11, 2009
A Note from the Editor
What's Luck Got to Do with It?
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Looking for luck? Well, you could go for the clover since St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Tuesday and four-leaf clovers are practically guaranteed (by every urban legend) to bring you good luck. But caution--Curb your burgeoning enthusiasm, for this could all be moot. After all, between now and St. Paddy's Day there is a Friday, and not just any Friday, but Friday the 13th .
According
to a 2000 survey by American Demographics, 13% of Americans believe that Friday
the 13th is an unlucky day. This irrational fear is termed paraskevidekatriaphobia
or, even better, frgaigtriskaidekaphobia. Since both terms are unpronounceable
and never seem to come up in trivia games or party chitchat, there is no need
to differentiate between the two. Besides, why dwell in the realm of black
cats and broken mirrors? Serious ABDs know from experience that when it comes
to reaching their goal, luck has little to do with it.
A direct relationship exists between hard work and achievement, and this relationship belies any notion that it is luck that accounts for success. Making the point somewhat brusquely but precisely, Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that shallow men believe in luck, while strong men believe in cause and effect. In the ABD world, hard work is the cause; achievement is the effect.
Is it really that straightforward? Think back for a moment to the time when you began to get serious about your academic work. When you studied hard and did well on a test, wasn't there always someone around to say, "Well, I could have done that if only I'd studied." Well, duh! It's the if only side of the equation that gets you where you want to go, that makes you a winner. The if only half is the hard work. Without it, the cause-effect relationship breaks down.
By this point in your journey, you know from experience that it is hard work, not luck, that is moving you toward your goal. Admittedly, there are some careers in which outside forces that may qualify as "luck" -- things like family fortune or connections (Uncle Charlie runs the company!) -- facilitate advancement. But that isn't what works for the ABD who must eventually sit alone at the computer, writing and rewriting, preparing to meet independently whatever challenges arise.
If that sounds a bit grim, you know better! It's simply what you do (for just a bit longer) and what everyone before you with a Ph.D. has done, and the reward is not only the doctorate, but also the ancillary reward of pride in knowing that you did it on your own. As noted, there are many careers in which an individual progresses because of advantages given, but progress along the Ph.D. route is earned. And to repeat--it is earned through hard work, not luck.
It remains an interesting question why so much is attributed by so many to luck when the cause-effect relationship is so evident. Perhaps luck is simply the handiest form of rationalization: It's easier to say "I had some bad luck" than to say "I made some bad choices." You can humor (and perhaps gently instruct) those who believe in (and even rely upon) luck by honestly pointing out the following:
When you are persistent, you get "lucky."
When you treat obstacles as challenges to be overcome, you get "lucky."
When you show up consistently and give it your best, you get "lucky."
You get the idea: To the extent that luck is involved in your success, it is a luck that you are creating.
Perhaps the most essential attribute you possess for the dissertation process
is your ability to stay with it. Persistence doesn't come easily when enthusiasm
is low, dampened by disappointments. Setbacks are inevitable and the greatest
mistake one can make at such times is to give up, and you won't. Setting a
goal and staying with it is w
hat
sets you apart from those inclined to say "if only." The "if
only" crowd is huge, and you are in a much more exclusive group: You
are going all the way!
Good luck? Ha! Sure, we might say it at times. But what we really mean is -- keep up the good work!
Be sure to check out this issue's Inspirational Quotes. You will find some
astute observations on luck, like this one by
Dr. Armand Hammer: "When I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week,
I get lucky."
Hmmm, I think we get his point.
Inspirational Quotes
Unknown Author
Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.
Thomas Jefferson
I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have
of it.
E. B. White
Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.
Voltaire
Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause.
William Jennings Bryan
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing
to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.