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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - November 24, 2007
3. Ask Steven Nash: How Can I Regain My Motivation?
By Nancy Whichard, Ph.D.
November 24, 2007
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Holiday season is officially underway, and this is a time of year when many ABDs suffer from a dip in motivation. You may be feeling overworked and resentful of time spent away from family and traditional holiday fun.
If you could use a motivation boost to get through the holidays, be sure to read Dr. Nancy Whichard's article in which she draws wisdom from the sports world that is relevant to writers and scholars. (That's you.)
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! Just think--This time next year (or soon after) you could be giving thanks that you have your Ph.D.!
Inspirational Quotes
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
~Cynthia Ozick
If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful
for what he's going to get.
~Frank A. Clark
Ask Steven Nash: How Can I Regain My Motivation?
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D.
I don't watch NBA basketball because it's NBA basketball. But I will watch Steve Nash, the point guard from Canada who plays for Phoenix and has twice won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.
Nash is bright and personable. I first saw him on David Letterman. As I write this, Charlie Rose has just interviewed Nash in a show focused on leadership.
And Nash is a leader. As a point guard, he says he "mothers" the other 4 players on the team, thinking about what they need and helping them find ways to succeed.
But I found myself wondering whether even if a man is paid whatever basketball players are paid, what does he do to keep himself motivated and at his best? How does a 6'1" player, a self-described small guy, have to be in order to play in the midst of those sharp elbows and huge shoulders? And how does he stay committed during the long season, the training, the traveling, the endless tournament at the end of the season?
Nash knows what he has to do. This is what he says:
1) Since he's a small guy in tough territory, he has to be creative. He has to come up with new plays.
2) He has to be mentally tough. When he's jostled or intimidated, he remains "unflappable" because he has decided that "nothing will bother" him.
3) He has no fear. Without fear, he can charge into the midst of play.
4) He doesn't give up because he's committed "to stay the course."
5) He does it because it's fun. He smiles when he says that, and you believe him.
As a writer, here's what you have to do:
1) Be mentally tough, even when you feel you're out-manned or losing ground. You choose to let nothing bother you and to remain unflappable. You just keep going.
2) Like Steve Nash in basketball, you didn't get to this level of writing by being a non-starter. You were training for this long ago. Remember that.
3) Character matters. Dig deep and find the courage to be fearless.
4) Keep your commitment to your team--even if it's just a team of one. Or add a coach to your team and have someone at your side who takes your commitment seriously.
5) And one more thing, Steve Nash plays hard and plays to win because it's
fun. You can make your work fun, too--writing is a challenge and challenges
can be exhilarating. Choose that perspective.
You asked about motivation? Having motivation is a choice. It takes courage,
discipline, and work to achieve a measure of success.
Motivation follows success.
Take risks and charge through tough places.
And then you, too, will feel the wind in your hair as you run fast in your
arena.
To watch Charlie Rose interview Steve Nash, click
here.