How to Start When You Don’t Know Where to Begin?
Letter Eighteen: Dear How to Start When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
What you briefly discuss above sounds a bit like first step paralysis. The sort of stuckness that can come at moments of fear or anxiety or uncertainty.
Sometimes, when we’re flooded with these emotions it can be really challenging to get our brains to think clearly or be motivated to take any steps towards achievement. Sometimes, instead of being able to parse out steps to take, our brains swirl with stories about how we won’t get to our goal so why even start.
This is not going to be either of those sometimes, because below I’ve created a roadmap of sorts to help you create your own steps forward.
How Do I Go About Making an Informed Decision About Returning to Academia vs. Becoming an Independent Researcher?
Letter Sixteen: Dear Dissatisfied and Tired
Particularly in the space of academia where there’s always another degree or position or grant or one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share your work to strive towards, I think celebrating is one of the most crucial things to do. It forces you to stop and take a clearer look at all the work that you have done and recognize it as worth honoring. To acknowledge all the energy and effort that brought you to completing a masters.
Which brings me to, of course you’re tired! How very human of you to be exhausted at the end of years of learning, researching, and writing a comprehensive piece of original work!!! (Emphasis for normalizing, not for yelling or judgement). It makes all the sense in the world to me.
Do I say something if my department head introduces me as Ms. instead of Dr.?
Letter Twelve: Dear Dr. or Ms.
What I think is the most important here is what feels right to you. I think there are people who make their choice based on personal reasons to use or not use and I think there are people who make their choice for praxis reasons (putting theory into action) to use or not use and I think there are people who make their choice to use or not use somewhere in the middle of feelings & theory or even those who haven’t thought about it at all.
What advice do you have for the night before a PhD viva?
Letter Eight: Dear The Night Before Your PhD Viva
Tomorrow is not a conversation to trick you or catch you out. Tomorrow is a conversation about what was accomplished and what could have gone differently. Tomorrow is about what changed and what stayed the same throughout time. Tomorrow is about who you are as a person impacting the work you did.