Self-Absorption...A Requisite for Dissertation Completion

I've come to the conclusion that a prerequisite for successfully completing a dissertation is developing a healthy dose of self-absorption... and that without it, one is doomed to linger on in doctoral dissertation hell. My journey has certainly been a long one, and I've had some friends and family say (or wonder) what's taken me so long! Well, factor in switching careers, illneses, family deaths, other challenges, starting a whole new program (or programs-- plural) at work, taking my program into another state, taking my program online, developing a very active honor society (for which we've been recognized by the international organization, by the way), writing new curricula, building a whole new faculty, and just the nuts and bolts of the "ordinary" tasks required at work and so there you go...years fly by! But now I'm on a successful path as I defended my proposal earlier this week, and I have a great committee who like my work! That, in itself, is tremendously validating! I didn't get to this point overnight because I have written several proposals over the years and peered deep down into several theoretical lenses and research methods...but this is THE one! It's exciting to be moving forward and making progress...now just have to keep focused and not let grass grow under my feet--- which goes back to my earlier point of saying that I need to develop a healthy dose of self-absorption and selfishness so as to protect my time and energy.

The irony of this is that I have dreaded defending my proposal because I am one of those people who think much better after the fact. It's hard for me to be put on the spot and come up with thoughtful, coherent answers. However, I did pretty well! It was also nice because I was able to do this at the downtown campus on G Street instead of driving to Ashburn...

...where the Executive Leadership program is located. We completed all of our coursework in Ashburn, and I enjoyed the process but got tired of the drive. This week I was able to take what I call the "Joe Biden" train, (the 6:25 AM Amtrak train) into DC, so it made for a more relaxing trip.

After the defense concluded, my Chair and I enjoyed a celebratory lunch at Quigley's Pharmacy around the corner.

This was an actual pharmacy over a hundred years ago! Love the history of the GWU DC campus! Since my train was not for another couple of hours, I decided to enjoy a brisk walk in the cold, across campus... where I passed the professor's gate (this is the gate doctoral students are walked through when they complete dissertation defense...

... (can't wait for that!), and then stopped by to see George himself...

...and yes, you can see that it was a cold, blustery day in DC! The day before was the inauguration, so the city was still in various stages of cleaning up...

They were dismantling the viewing stands in front of the White House,

and huge vacuums stood in the streets ready to suck up the paper litter and trash strewn about.

Banks of portapotties stood at the ready waiting to be picked up--- they were everywhere!

It took about an hour from the campus on G Street to walk to Metro Station... and it was great exercise. Yes, I could have taken the metro back from the Foggy Bottom Station to Union Station, but this was much more fun, and the walk provided time to process and think through the morning's events. It was a good day, now on to completing the IRB process, making the edits, doing the pilot study, and waiting for the go-ahead to collect data! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! In the meanwhile, yes, I will learn to say "NO" to anything asked of me and just focus on my research. Happy days!