#PhD + life coaching for more 🤗 joy 😊 ease 🌟 flow 🤓 clarity 🧵 and untangling messy feelings, situations, relationships.
{Messy PhD} Are you 'good enough' for your PhD?
Hi, friends!
Let me confess that throughout my PhD, every single time I went in to see my supervisors, I thought this:
"Okay, this time they're going to figure out that I'm not good enough for this programme. They're going to tell me that they're really concerned that I'm already xx months in and I still haven't done xxxx and that it doesn't look like I'm good enough to see it through."
Every. Single. Time. (Up until maybe the last 6 months before submission).
The PhD (and academia in general) is a fuckin' weird thing, though isn't it? No matter how well you're doing, how high you're soaring, how many accolades you're getting, there's very often that niggly wormy feeling that "Hmm... maybe it's still not good enough though" or "Hmm... but it could be better, right?"
(If this isn't you, and you're wondering what the heck I'm on about, then may I suggest you take a break from this email and just chill. You're doing amazing!)
Look, in most cases it honestly isn't you who 'isn't good enough' - but the way in which academia *is*, the way it's set up and functions, the kinds of competitive, highly strung relationships that it fosters.
And I've got thoughts + tips on this that might help you smash through those 'not good enough', imposter-syndromey, down-on-yourself feelings:
- Academia is a highly-strung competitive shitshow
- Separate your definition of ‘good enough’ from academia’s
- What is ‘good enough’ anyway? (and what does it mean for you?)
- Make it a habit to regularly celebrate all the ‘good enough’ wins!
- Comparison is an inaccurate, pointless, shitty thing to do – STOP IT
- Aim for a series of ‘good enough right now’s
- Lean towards possibility and potential, not lack
I've gone into more detail for each of these points right here and I'd love for you to check it out.
If you do, let me know which one resonated most for you or which you're going to take on board to start feeling more than good enough! (BECAUSE YOU ARE)
Signing off, with plenty of "Goldilocks-juuuuuuuust-riiiiiiight" vibes,
J
*****
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​Jamie Pei, PhD ~ The Messy Coach​
Jamie Pei | The Messy Coach
#PhD + life coaching for more 🤗 joy 😊 ease 🌟 flow 🤓 clarity 🧵 and untangling messy feelings, situations, relationships.
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