Ask Doctoral Advising

Know your purpose and what you are reaching for…
I ran a short race the other day.  It was a 12K…about 7.5 miles.  I’ve gotten faster as a runner, and can actually keep up with my running buddies.  The course was a tad hilly ( read the piece on embracing hills)–which is a bit of an understatement.  The course kept going up and up.  And only came down in the last 200 yards.

There were 3 of us running together.  One of my inspirations ( the guy who is in his 70’s) was struggling through the run.  Several times during the end of the run, the two of us looped back to run with him, walking with him and then running in at the end.  He told us we should have gone in without him.

My purpose for that run was to finish and run with my buddies, not to make a ‘best time’

What is your purpose and goals for your doctoral program?  One of your main goals should be getting it done.  There is a balance of time…time to do it well, to learn, to let education happen.

Focus on your purpose–what you are reaching for.

As I worked on my dissertation, I needed to let go of the idea that I was going to ‘change the world’ with this work. That idea stalled my forward motion.
The dissertation is an enormous work, but one also needs to keep the purpose strongly in your sights.

FINISH.  Get it done.