Ask Doctoral Advising

What motivates you, to continually pursue your degree? 

Training for a marathon (and writing a dissertation, plus the coursework to get there) takes commitment.  It takes time, also, but if you do not have the personal fortitude to keep on training (or writing, questioning, reflecting, and writing, etc) you won’t accomplish your goal. 

When making a commitment to train for an event, telling your friends helps you be accountable.   For some, that may be motivation enough to motivate you to get out almost daily to get the training runs in, and the long runs on the weekends.

Managing my health was a big factor in my motivation. I could see the immediate benefits of my daily blood glucose tests, and could see them drop over time to where they were in an ok levels.  It was a regular reminder why I exercise.

And having an event goal kept me moving. It would be difficult for me to decide to run a  half marathon with little training to build up to it. 

I still wonder what my motivation was, that kept me working on my dissertation. Commitment?  Dissertation–conceptualizing, researching, synthesizing, and, in particular, writing–doesn’t come easy.  I didn’t have a job that required the degree. When I entered the program, I didn’t know others who were seeking the degree (I gained colleagues after I started). 

And I marvel that I’ve accomplished the training and the marathon distance (twice, actually)

There are good reasons one stops doing what they set out to do.  I’m easy to forgive myself for not accomplishing a goal.  Perhaps it was mis-stated in the beginning.  There are external forces that impede progress–some are show stoppers, some just create delays.

For me, and these events in my life, there is something inside that I tapped.  Something that carried through to the end, and kept me in academia and continuing running. 

What are your motivations?  And how will you manage your motivations over the long haul?