Fear

Where does fear fit into your dissertation journey? Is it in the front seat, screaming at you at every turn? Is it driving? I have been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's (author of Eat, Pray, Love) new book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. She has a wonderful letter she writes to fear that I would like to share with you.

Dearest Fear: Creativity and I are about to go on a road trip together. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life, and that you take your job seriously. Apparently your job is to induce complete panic whenever I am about to do anything interesting and, may I say, you are superb at your job. So by all means, keep doing your job, if you feel you must. But I will also be doing my job on this road trip, which is to work hard and stay focused. And Creativity will be doing its job, which is to remain stimulating and inspiring. There's plenty of room in this vehicle for all of us, so make yourself at home, but understand this: Creativity and I are the only ones who will be making any decisions along the way. I recognize and respect that you are part of this family, and so I will never exclude you from our activities, but still - your suggestions will never be followed. You're allowed to have a seat, and you're allowed to have a voice, but you are not allowed to have a vote. You're not allowed to touch the road maps; you're not allowed to suggest the tours; you're not allowed to fiddle with the temperature. Dude, you're not even allowed to touch the radio. But above all else, my dear old familiar friend, you are absolutely forbidden to drive.

I love this imagery! While you need fear to keep you motivated on your dissertation journey, you do not have to let it be in charge! Over the next few posts, I will be sharing more insights from Gilbert's book.

Next time, I will consider more about creativity. 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