New Year, New You: End Of Semester Reflection

In this weeks episode, Dr. Lacy reflects on the past year and shares some questions you should be asking yourself as the year comes to an end to set yourself up for success in 2021. 

Transcript:
Introduction: 

Hey friend, the time has come to finish your dissertation, graduate and become doctor. Welcome to office hours with Dr. Lacy where we talk about how to finally master this time management thing so you can stay on top of it without losing your mind. Every Wednesday you can find a new episode wherever you listen to podcasts, make sure you hit the subscribe button to make sure you never miss an episode. I’m Dr. Marvette Lacy, your dissertation writing strategist here to be with you along every step of the way. I would like to thank you for coming to today’s office hours. Let’s get started on today’s episode. Hey, how’s writing going? I know you don’t like the question, but let me tell you, when you join the finish your dissertation program, you will love that question. Clients often report feeling excited and joyful to go into their process even before they even get to the dissertation process, and that’s what I’m inviting you to do. I’m inviting you to come inside the group and join us so that you can get the structure you need and the tools that will help you to show up consistent and disciplined in your process. All you need to do is come on over to Marvette lacy.com/apply and sign up for the wait list and you will be the first notified when doors are open. See you soon.

Hey, Hey, Hey, guess what y’all it is to end of the year. How did we get here? I’m so excited. So I’m gonna keep this real short and cute because I hope y’all doing hoodrat things with your hoodrat friends on this holiday break, but social distance, of course, but there’s a lot of ways to do hood rat things. Okay. But before we get into the episode, I want to take a moment to do a client spotlight. And we’re going to end the year off with a bang.

Client Spotlight: Shanequa: 

Let’s spotlight Shenequa. And the reason why I say we’re going to do with a bang is because Shenequa is, she’s just a beautiful spirit, a beautiful. She, while she is an Aquarius, I feel very much connected with her and my Sagittarius Sagittarius experience. Um, because if you don’t know, like this is going away off of what the point of this podcast is, but Sagittarius and the Aquarius, like we’re just, we’re on our own page. We’re in our own world. Like one’s a fire sign, one’s an air sign, if you’ve been around any people who are, has Aquarius as their like sign theirs, their sun sign, you probably have been on many rollercoasters. They have a very unique way of thinking and seeing the world and being with the world and people can misunderstand them a lot. And I know I’m speaking very generally, but as someone who most of my friends are Aquarius, um, just have a different way. And me being a Sagittarius, I’m like, it’s cool. I got you. Oh, I’m all about freedom and adventure. I’m down with whatever. I don’t even, no judgment. Let’s go do it. So I would say just to say like that pretty much sums up the coaching relationship between Shenequa and myself. Wherever it goes, I’m going, it’s fine. Shanequa came to me this time last year. And, um, she was, I think she had this point wrote like three or four full versions of her proposal. And when I say wrote like meaning she had, she started from nothing and built a whole proposal. Several times. She had been through, if memory serves me, correct correctly, multiple chairs. And she was getting to a point where she was highly frustrated because she felt like I have written this thing multiple times. I still can’t get it passed. And I keep switching chairs and it doesn’t seem like anybody here has my back. And so she came to me being like, well, what, what do I need to do?

And I was like, okay, here’s the thing you’re going to have to rewrite this again. And I’m telling you when you rewrite it this time, it will pass because it goes back to, I mean, I’ve done episodes on this. Like when you go to getting a very clear problem and purpose to your research, nothing can stop you. But a lot of times, like we just, a lot of us are just free spirits and we just want to write whatever we feel in our hearts, right? We just want to write whatever the wind takes us. And I’m with you. I’m with you. I’m not judging you how and so ever, higher education ain’t about that life, higher education wants the boring, very clear, clearly defined rules of academic writing. And so when you are a free spirit and you want to do that, doesn’t quite always link. There is a way to marry the two, but there’s a process that needs to happen. And so everything she was writing was beautiful. It read like a novel. The issue was that her faculty and her program couldn’t see past the like novel style of writing to see the heart of what she was saying. And so I’m really good at packaging things that faculty can understand in order for you to pass and making sure it feels like you, making sure it still communicates the spirit that you want it to have. And so we worked on that and she was able to finish that proposal. Defended, get a complete, um, committee submit IRB and her study is beautiful.

I have to have her on a podcast with her to talk to you about her study. It’s just, it’s beautiful. But my favorite moment with Shenequa. Um, and I want to be careful cause I don’t know, you know how far this goes, but I would say it this way. Have You ever had a meeting with your chair and there are sentences running through your head that you want to say to them, you want to give them a piece of your mind, but you don’t because you like out of respect or I’m not trying to get kicked out of this program. So take that and exactly what you’re thinking. Shanequa said it to her chair. And I can’t remember the cross street, but she was in New York on a corner going back and forth. And I laugh at that. Not that I’m encouraging anybody to do that. I laugh because we had a coaching session. I want to say right after it, and when I say okay I’m going to ride with you. Like whatever you want to go, let’s do it. And let me help talk you through your options. It was just what I did. And she was able to go from that to a point where I’m not saying they BFFS, I’m just saying they’re on the same page. And clearly they’re on the same page because she was able to pass her proposal and IRB. And now is collecting data, which that will always be one of my favorite moments because it’s so real. It’s so real. Like I’m laughing, but it’s real. People out here are harmful and it doesn’t matter what letters or titles that they have. People can still be harmful. And sometimes you’re going to in a lot of times, I mean, not say sometimes you’re going to have to, Um, what’s the word I’m looking for, Advocate for yourself.

Because People will try you. Now I’m not saying you need to be outside on the corner, yelling in the phone. I’m saying you will have to advocate for yourself. Sometimes you will have to tell people, even if they are your advisor, your chair, you’re going to have to say what you need. And so I just hope that you borrow the spirit of Shenequa, even if it ain’t your style to do it that way, but borrow the spirit of advocating for what you need and advocating for yourself and advocating for your goals. That is the thing I admire about this story. And yeah it’s like, you know, inside joke inside of FYD. And we love to hear the story. What I take From that is the importance Shanequa was an example of what it means when you show up and advocate for yourself, when you push back. Right?

Because she had done the work, she had done everything that everybody asked her to do. And so she had enough evidence to be like, no, no, y’all trying to play me. Let me tell you I’m advocating for myself. So if you see Shanequa, you go and ask her about the story. Cause I’m not, I’m not going to repeat in exact quotes. She would happily shared the story. Um, but I just love working with her. I love like seeing how she’s an example of what’s possible for everyone else of what it means to advocate, show up and advocate for yourself. Okay. I said, this was going to be quick y’all and I think I’ve been talking already for a while.

New Year, New You: 

Okay. So this is new year, new you end of semester reflection. Here’s what I want to say. Cause I’m sure it has a lot of people talking about, did you hit your goals or not? Whatcha you going to do for 2021? Let me start off and say you survived a pandemic. Again, you survived a pandemic. You survived all sorts of violence and harm this year from racial unrest, people out here, just, just, just doing things, right? Your program acting like we not in a pandemic. Institutions acting like we not in a pandemic. You being at home, you probably got zoom fatigue. There probably is no word for the zoom fatigue that you feel. You’re probably over being in the house, But you survived. Before we get into anything. Cause I want to be like F those goals, you survived the pandemic. That’s like, take a moment. If you do nothing else, take a moment and realize you’ve survived a whole ass pandemic. Yeah, we’re still going. But we gonna to take this a moment to celebrate you survived a pandemic, several pandemics. You survived that. So Yes. Understandable why you would want to be like F it, I want this year to be over. We almost there. I can’t wait for 2021 or maybe you like, I don’t really care about 2021. We still in this pandemic girl, but just take a moment and celebrate. Do a little twerk in the mirror or somethin, a little shoulder shimmy, something to celebrate that you made it to the end of this year in a pandemic.

1. 5 Things to Celebrate: 

If you want some additional things. I’m gonna tell you three things really quickly. And then we’re going to get out. Cause get outta here. Cause we need to go celebrate that we made it. One what are five things beyond, right Like number one should be you surviving a pandemic. But what are five other things that you can celebrate about yourself this year five, at least five things you can celebrate that you could do it even more like a little table dance or something. Five things you celebrate.

2. Describe Your Progress:

Number two. How would you describe your progress over this year? Remember Give yourself some wins. Yes. Be honest with yourself, but we don’t celebrate ourselves enough. So that’s why I keep saying it. How would you describe your progress over this year?

3. Doing Things Differently: 

And then number three is what do you want to do differently next year? What do you want to do differently? And what do you want to keep doing for next year?

4. Journey to Doctor: 

And Number four is why do you want to continue to be doctor? That’s it.

All you need to do is take out your phone, open up the notes app and type out some thoughts to this, this end of the year evaluation Don’t gotta be all this hoopla and all these steps. It’s just simple. I survived the pandemic. What are five other things I can celebrate about this year? How would I describe my progress over the year? What do I want to do differently next year and what I want to keep doing for next year? And why do I want to continue to be doctor? That last question is really important and it will help carry you through to the end of this thing, because I’m sure your answer has changed since the beginning. Since you first submitted your personal statement for application to your program, you know something you a little bit older, you’re a little bit wiser. You got more information. So it’s time to answer that question again. Why do you want to continue to be doctor? So that’s all y’all we go, we got to close this out. Thank you for rocking with me this year. I am grateful for each and every one of you who listens even if this is your first time listening. Thank you so much for such an amazing year, such an amazing year. I’m so excited for what is in store for 2021 and helping y’all get to the end of this thing with all of your peace and joy in tact. So that is all happy new year. And I will talk with y’all next week Bye for now.

Join Finish Your Dissertation: 

Hey, you ready to take this work further? Then it’s time for you to join the finish your dissertation program. Finally get the tools, resources, and structure. You need to show up consistent and disciplined in your process. All you need to do is come on over to MarvetteLacy.com/apply and join the finish your dissertation wait list. I’ll see you there. Bye for now. Thanks. Thank you for joining in for today’s office hours. Make sure you come on Instagram and tag me at Marvette Lacy. Let me know what your thoughts were on today’s episode until next time. Do something to show yourself some love. I’ll talk to you next week. Bye for now.