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Devoted to providing practical strategies for completing
your Doctoral Dissertation.™
INSIDE THIS ISSUE - July 28, 2009
1. A Note from the Editor - Meteorological Observations
Is there rain in your personal forecast?
July 28, 2009
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Meteorological Observations
It never rains on my parade. But that's only because (taking the expression
literally) I don't have a parade. If I did, it would probably get rained on
occasionally, just as most of my plans and projects do, literally or metaphorically.
I know you know what I mean. If the dissertation process were a long parade, it wouldn't be the kind with clowns and a calliope; it would be the kind that gets rained on. But the thing to keep in mind when you're getting wet and uncomfortable is that it rains everywhere, not just on you. Led Zeppelin got this one right in "The Rain Song":
"Upon us all a little rain must fall.
It's just a little rain."
You may be thinking that Zeppelin's "just a little rain" somewhat understates the deluge encountered in the dissertation process. Perhaps your experience is more in tune with Credence Clearwater Revival in "Who'll Stop the Rain?"
"Long as I remember, rain been coming down.
Clouds of mystery pouring confusion on the ground."
Not really. There are no clouds of mystery obscuring your career path, and no confusion about where you are going. You are going to get your doctorate. The goal is worthy and you are motivated.
I would like to add that the path to your goal is clear. Instead, you are probably finding the path littered with obstacles--research glitches, committee clashes, computer crashes--just name your obstacle du jour. Your mental list is no doubt ongoing, ever changing, ever frustrating.
Even personal problems can intrude and impede. And although a certain degree of consternation is appropriate as various obstacles are encountered, it's nonetheless true that problems, like rain, are simply a fact of life. We can't always control what happens to us, but we can influence how we respond.
You have already demonstrated some good responses, otherwise you wouldn't have come this far. For example, there have surely been times during this dissertation process when things were tough and it was tempting to give the throw-in-the-towel response, but you didn't. You evidently picked the thorny stick-with-it response instead. I am oversimplifying a bit, but not much.
The point is that your responses to difficulties have brought you forward, while less resolute responses to the same difficulties could have put a halt to your progress. It is not by chance that you have come this far and will go further.
To maintain the progress you have made, take care to preserve a positive outlook. That can be difficult at times, given the length of the dissertation process. Though not endless, it can seem so at times, and through it all you are competing not with others, but with yourself. One way to keep it fresh is by trying to be better than you have ever been.
To that end, make choices that nurture your spirit and contribute to your strength and determination. Only you know the things that inspire you. Choose to keep in touch with those things.
Give some thought even to seemingly inconsequential choices, such as selections in movies, TV, or music, for they can affect your spirit in a big way. Choose uplifting messages over those that you know can bring you down. A certain amount of negativity will inevitably invade your space, especially as you try to keep up with world events, but beyond that you can choose to foster a positive outlook that will benefit both work and leisure.
This emphasis on maintaining a constructive attitude is not a novel idea. In the late 19th century, pioneer psychologist William James observed, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind." Times have changed, but some things never will. And currently in the field of psychology, some things old are new again:
Positive psychology, a rapidly growing new field, is very much in synch with James' observation. The big difference is that today's observations on positive thinking, strengths and emotions are supported by extensive, groundbreaking research.
One of the foremost researchers in positive psychology is Dr. Barbara Fredrickson of the University of North Carolina. In her very readable new book Positivity, she explains not only the effect of positive emotions, but also their relation to negative emotions and how negativity can be overcome. Her research revealed that if we increase the incidence of positive emotions in our lives over negative emotions by a 3:1 ratio, we increase our resilience and creativity.
For those of you who like the numbers only research can offer, Dr. Fredrickson
provides them. Research gives evidence and specificity for what many have
long known from experience about the benefits of a positive attitude.
When you get into an occasional funk--and who doesn't?--don't be critical
of yourself. When doubts arise, take your own side. Believe in yourself. There's
good reason for you to do so, for you didn't just drift into your ABD status;
you applied your mind and heart to get here.
What happens within you is often much more important than what happens around you, so maintain your expectation of success. And yes, maintain your expectation of rain as well. There will always be a little rain, and even the occasional deluge. But forget about getting the traditional rainbow after the rain--instead, you are going to get a long-awaited, well-earned Ph.D.
"Those raindrops keep fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'
But there's one thing I know,
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me,
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me."
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
B.J. Thomas
Inspirational Quotes
William Arthur Ward
A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
Albert Schweitzer
An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist
sees only the red stoplight….The truly wise person is colorblind.
Winston Churchill
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
John Milton
The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell
of Heaven.
Epictetus
It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.