Affirmations remind me of what I do know and of what is within my capacity. If you are working on your dissertation, I hope these affirmations also encourage you.
All in PhD Journey
Affirmations remind me of what I do know and of what is within my capacity. If you are working on your dissertation, I hope these affirmations also encourage you.
I keep a journal devoted to anything involving my dissertation: ideas, notes, affirmations, lists of books to read, etc.
I felt inspired to write more dissertation-specific affirmations. I hope fellow All-But-Dissertation PhD students find them encouraging. You can carry on.
This post is inspired by Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. I find Clear’s ideology of “tiny changes, remarkable results” incredibly encouraging to create good writing habits.
Clear outlines four laws to building and sustaining a good habit: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll be equipped with practical steps to ensure your writing routine aligns with each of these laws.
Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t let my PhD be my life. At least, not my whole life.
I love words. I know how important they are in shaping, shifting, and solidifying beliefs. Whenever I struggle to write my dissertation, I turn to the following phrases…
Whenever I did cry, tears streaming down my face felt like proof that I was not a “good” scientist. The act of crying made me feel like I was “part of the problem”, like I was letting down every single woman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. - Yayoi Teramoto
Aside from learning how to ever-so-skillfully walk on black ice, I learned another invaluable life lesson that winter: when it gets too cold, I can find ways to keep warm.