What does commitment mean in terms of a dissertation? My guess would be that everyone would have his or her own views on this, but I will share with you mine. To me, dissertation commitment means first thinking beyond the paper itself. You want to think about why you are getting your doctorate and what that means to you. I truly believe it is that level of thought that will provide the drive to get the paper done.
On a more immediate level, I think commitment is showing up and being involved- which translates to communicating with your chair, reading the literature, and working on the paper. Getting done doesn't happen at the last moment, getting done is a day to day plodding along, doing something on your dissertation every day. You have to recognize that it is not going to be easy, some days it is very painful, you will feel rejected at times, and wonder if you can really do this. It is the commitment to keep going that will see through the process.
In many ways, making the decision to get your PhD and making the commitment to get it done are the most important aspects of the dissertation process. Once these decisions are made, the inertia will carry you through.
Returning to the quote, what does success mean in the dissertation context? I believe there are many aspects of this, finishing the dissertation, attending graduation, being called "doctor" for the first time, and getting a job. Believe it or not, that is only the beginning of a new process requiring new goals and new commitments. If you go into academics, there will be the goals of teaching your first classes, conducting more research, and moving up the organizational ladder. These elements are the "abiding success" of the quote.
Commitment. Day to day goals of writing a little more, reading another article. These will get you done!
Next time, we will look at how to link ideas and literature in your writing. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu
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