POTUS 36 and Dissertations

August 27th marks the birthday of the 36th President of the United States. Here’s some words of wisdom from Lyndon Johnson that you can apply to your dissertation…

Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time.
— Lyndon Johnson

The dissertation journey may also seem to be a thousand miles and it, too, must be taken one step at a time. The trick is to know which step to take first. Planning is the most important element in a successful dissertation journey. You must develop a detailed plan that addresses who you are going to include in your study, what data you will collect form them and how, and how you will make sense of this data. This plan will guide you through the rest of your dissertation journey. It will not lessen the miles, but it will ensure that you do not add unnecessarily to your journey.

Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.
— Lyndon Johnson

If you are to complete your doctoral degree, you must see education not only as an opportunity but as your only opportunity to make your mark on this world. Whether you are called to teach or lead, to counsel or consult, to manage or start your own business, you must need to earn your doctoral degree in order to heed your calling.

In every doctoral student’s life there comes a day, or more likely a night, when you have a rather serious conversation with the mirror. You will ask why you are putting yourself through the stress and frustration. And, if you do not have a compelling reason why you want and need to complete your dissertation, it will be all too easy for you to walk away.

With all of the problems you may encounter in your education, it is the opportunity your education represents that must drive you forward. It must keep you motivated. It must guard against your doubts and resolve you to your success.

Doing what’s right isn’t the problem. It is knowing what’s right .
— Lyndon Johnson

When you took classes, your professor would tell you what to read, tell you what to write, and check your work to make sure that you weren’t falling behind. But, the dissertation offers no such luxury.

It’s kind of like you were helicoptered out to the middle of the ocean and dropped in at night. Yes, it’s sink or swim, but it’s more than that…

Knowing what to do next, how to move forward, is often the most difficult prospect for dissertation students. Having a plan helps; having a guide or mentor can help more…

There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.
— Lyndon Johnson

A strong support system is often the difference between success and failure in a dissertation journey. Your support system should include those who can provide academic support, those who can tell you what to do and how to do it. But, it should also include people who can provide emotional support, who can keep your confidence up and your progress in tact.