Qualifying Project Accepted - Now What

I thought that once my qualifying project was accepted that the rest would fall into place. I would then have a plan of attack, a way forward. However now I feel more lost than ever. I'm afraid that trying to do research in a military environment is tantamount to getting an effective bill passed through Congress. If there was a logic to their requests perhaps I wouldn’t be so frustrated, it’s not the hoops that I mind, it’s the feeling that I’m blindfolded and there’s a pit on the other side. This semester has been a struggle, it’s not particularly harder, I’m just questioning my ability to finish. I have found it harder to stay motivated, focused and engaged. I love research, just not sure if I have what it takes at this level. How do I get myself re-invigorated? Sleep would help I’m sure. I have started working out again, getting back into a routine. I think I just let myself down, physically and emotionally; not taking care of me. I feel inadequate against many of my cohort who have the same courses and projects, plus family and even extracurricular activities. Maybe that’s the root of the problem, I need to stop comparing myself to others. Just get to work. Figure out a path forward that works for me. I wrote down a list of tasks I need to accomplish to move forward, now to just get to it one at a time. Step 1, finish IRB; Step 2, get JAG ethical approval for work/school conflict; Step 3, get research approval from the DoD; Step 4, finish Literature Review edits; Step 5 start project. This is doable, I know I can, I just have to stop thinking and start doing.

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