Do It With Doubt…Confidence Comes Later with Dr. Pensacola Jefferson
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:40:04]
And and and with me like that perfectionist in me wanted to try to do it. So I made it harder on myself. So I had to learn the lesson of humility, as you know. And it’s OK. And boy, when I gave it to you, it’s like a bird flew off my shoulder. I said, why don’t you just do that in the first place? Because sometime we’re always trying to do everything ourselves and it’s OK to ask for help. So those of us and I’m such a perfectionist that it was a lesson I had to learn.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:40:40]
And that’s the most of most folks who go through this process are perfectionists. And you have to learn to to put that down. That’s a bag of bricks. And you just got to set that down. Yes. You know, people that are perfectionists don’t get a whole lot done. People who are OK with good enough, that can be prolific. And I’m sure that that there’s you’ve reached a point with the writing. I’m sure you’re not going back over these books. Every single one, ten or 15 times make sure that they’re all perfect. You’re saying? You know what? I got this message out. I feel like this is going to be helpful to people. Yeah. Put that out there and let’s do the next thing. Right? Yes.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:41:21]
I think I think writing a dissertation gives you the confidence to to go ahead and write books and stuff. Here you get a little you gain a little more confidence. Like if I’m writing about a subject, I always say from this perspective. So I always said, you know, it doesn’t it is not every perspective, but from this perspective, this concept is going to mean this in this chapter. Yeah. So you give them this is what this concept you don’t have to agree with. It is just a perspective way of looking at it. Yeah. Yes. So even when it comes to helping somebody with the process, I will say this is the way that I did it. But this is not a set in stone. You can take this process and fit it into your personality. Right, because sometime we copy that becomes hard to do. Try to copy exactly true to yourself. I said this is just a guideline. What is not set in stone. You may be able to take the same process and fit it into a way that suits you. So that kind of takes the pressure of a person to just cause I did it this way. And work is just a guideline, but it’s not set in stone. It doesn’t work that way. We modify it to work for you.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:42:45]
And when we set up our process for students, I mean, that’s one of the first things we do is we talk to people before we agree to work with them to make sure that our process is a good fit for them, because if it’s not, then we’re not going to be good working together. Right. Like, I can help most anybody if they really want that help, but it’s got to be a good fit for them.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:43:08]
Yes. And you did I remember when you talked to me, Dr. Strickland, you were you were like that. You really talk to me, ask me what I wanted. And and you did you did talk to me. I felt very peaceful and confident when when I mean, I was so happy. So thankful. And you really did make it easy for me. Really. I appreciate it.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:43:31]
Well, and I appreciate that. That’s definitely the goal, is to make it less stressful and less stressful, frustrating, that’s for sure.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:43:40]
Yeah, I admire you because I said anybody would do statistics. That’s not easy stuff. I said that’s that’s some difficult stuff, really. Well, you have to really have an analytical mind.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:43:55]
Yeah. We try to keep it as easy as possible. So I’m a science and math geek. So I do. I do now. But but to understand what you need to do for your dissertation, you don’t have to be you know, I talk to you all the time. You may remember when we had this conversation during your study, we’ll talk about the statistics in their study and we won’t say any words that sound like math pretty much the whole time. Yeah, numbers. Pretty much the whole time. Yes. Because it’s about concepts and understanding and ultimately it’s about numbers, we look at the numbers and say, OK, well, these numbers say it’s this way instead of that way. The important thing is, is it this way or that way? But ultimately, you have the numbers to see. But understanding why are we looking at those numbers? And when we look at how are we going to make a decision? That’s the important thing.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:44:47]
When you finished, I understood what you found out, I understood how I had to know how to write it. So you explained it to me so I could write it up. You did. If you hadn’t explained it to me, there is no way I could have written finished that part of the study. So you did explain to me in a way that I was able to write about that.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:45:11]
So is that you need to be able to report present and defend your results? Yes, but this is the way it is in the real world, right? If you see a person, male or female, in a suit, standing up in front of a bunch of people talking numbers, I can virtually guarantee you that person didn’t run those numbers. That person probably a business leader or CEO or something like that, maybe a mayor or governor or president or something, that they had someone run those numbers for them. Yeah, they said here’s the answer. Here’s what it means. And that’s the important things to be able to convey to the people that you’re trying to to explain, to teach, to motivate or to to persuade telling these these numbers mean so that they can make the decision or advocating for a certain decision.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:46:01]
And, you know, you realize they’re writing a dissertation, you’re not going to do it by yourself, you need help. So there’s nothing greater need not to me than after the paper was finished and I did my presentation, nothing moved me. I was in tears when they said congratulations Dr. Jefferson. That was awesome, you know, because you work for it and you realize that was one degree more than any. I’ve got associate, bachelors, masters, but nothing was more rewarding than the doctrate degree because I love work for work for it.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:46:44]
And it’s the top. It’s the pinnacle. And to have you. Congratulations, Dr. Jefferson. Those are some of the words you’re ever going to hear. Yes. Even when, you know, going into that defense, you know that you’re ready. You know that you’re prepared. You know that you’re going there to pass. You’re not going there to see if you pass. They didn’t invite you because you might fail. They invited you because you were ready. Yes. But even so here, it’s so nerve wracking.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:47:15]
Yeah, it really is nerve racking. So and so you go there like the statistician, the editor, your know, your chair, your chair, all these things. You’ve got to pass the classes. You’ve got to pass a comprehensive you’ve got to finish the dissertation. One of my professors told me, don’t try to discover the world or solve the world. He said do a very basic he said do it. You said the basic thing was a survey. He said that’s the easiest one to do, a very basic dissertation, do not solve the world for your dissertation. So that advice helped me a lot. He said this is a basic thing, a survey, get done, don’t do anything complicated. And that’s what I did. I listened to him.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:48:12]
We tell everybody that’s exactly what you should do. We didn’t get to. So it’s late in twenty twenty right now as we’re we’re recording this episode. We didn’t get to see the Summer Olympics this year due to covid. But in the Summer Olympics they have this event where where a guy or a girl is running up to this bar that’s like several feet up above the ground and they jump over and they land on this big mat on the other side. It’s called the high jump. Right. And when they do that now, they use a technique that was developed in the 60s where they run up and they go over backwards and they are literally scraping their butt over that bar to go, oh, my God, it’s called the Fosbury Flop. But that’s what you need to be thinking about the dissertation. You’re not up there doing back flips in style, points your screen, but over the bar doing it. Come on. What needs to be done to get done? Not a whole bunch extra because, yes, the university is going to put that bar of their high enough there and they’re not. And so that’s where it is. You don’t need to raise it beyond that. Yes. Because you don’t get any credit for clearing the bar by like a foot and a half. You get credit for clearing the bar.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:49:28]
That was the best advice ever. Keep it simple. Yeah. And I took that you say in this survey is the base, the very basic make it simple. This is all you need. You don’t need any more than this many people. I mean, I listen to everything you told me, and that’s how I got it finished.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:49:51]
So if you’re out there trying to figure out how to keep your dissertation simple, reach out, because that’s exactly what we do, is we try to keep it as simple as possible.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:50:00]
Yes. And in the end way you explained it, Dr. Strickland, I would have never been able to look at it on my own and explain what she discovered. So you explained it to me and I had to write it reported in the dissertation where it was acceptable. Right. So had you not explained it to me, I wouldn’t have been able to report it properly. So that really made a difference. Yeah. So, I mean, it was it was a journey. And when I finished, I mean, I really felt I had earned that doctorate. I mean, the rest of the classes, I’m proud of all those degrees, but the doctorate. So that was a different story.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:50:49]
That’s true. Yeah. Well, Dr Jefferson, what what else would you would you share with people before we we go here in terms of maybe opportunities that you’ve experienced since you graduated? Because that’s one of the things I like to to have people keep focusing on what’s out there. And there are so many amazing opportunities for folks once they earn this degree. Any stories to share about things that you’ve experienced since you graduated because you had your doctoral degree?
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:51:21]
Well, I think that the one thing that, you know, always helps is I’m always chosen to speak. You know, I’m I’ll go ask Dr. Jefferson to speak. Ask Dr. Jefferson to write this. So people do tend to call on you more when you have your doctor than they did before because, oh, let her do this. Let her do that.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:51:46]
And this isn’t this isn’t like have or take out the trash. I mean, these are people coming to you for leadership positions is what.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:51:56]
Yes. Yes. And yes. That’s what it comes down to. And and so and you when you get in a position of leadership, you also put yourself up there for not only compliments but criticisms, too. They are people who are looking to do both. And so you do have to have the care to be able to deal with both types of people. You don’t want to defend yourself over here. You don’t want to get a big hand over you. So you want to be able to be balanced within yourself. I’m just a person who had been gifted to have this, and I’m happy to help. I don’t know everything. That’s OK.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:52:36]
I agree, you want to balance within yourself, but I’ll take that to mean you want to be balanced within the world, the right that you’re out there, that you’re able to help. And there are other people who won’t like the help that you provide, the way life philosophies that you espouse, whatever it is, the way that you think about things, in the way that you encourage people to move through their situation is going to be unique to you. It’s going to call certain people to you and it’s going to push other people away from you. And it’s right. If you don’t have people who are who are detractors, then you don’t have anybody, you’re truly helping. So don’t be afraid to have people who are criticizing you. That means you’re out there making them making some noise.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:53:18]
Yes. So I think that if there is anything I think what your dissertation that are any talent is you have to have character. That character is more important than whatever you possess, because with character, you can take your skill and use it would wisdom and dignity and integrity. So I think your character is important when you hold this kind of responsibility. Character is very important because the way you treat people, even with people who don’t treat you well, still don’t let it change who you are, still treat them with kindness and dignity. You don’t go. So you have to have character to deal with leadership. So you have to be a servant where we’re not just leaders, but we are also servants and examples of people. But it takes character.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:54:11]
Which goes back to what we were talking about earlier. Know what? You know what you don’t know. When you know all these things that you don’t know, then it’s easier to be to be humble and to approach anyone on any level. And I think that’s a yes. So awesome. Well, Dr. Jefferson, what’s the best way for folks to reach out to you? I know you’ve got all the books. We’re going to we’re going to put some links in the show notes to some of your books on Amazon, not all of them, because it will take forever. But you mentioned you also do counseling. What’s the best thing someone wants to continue this conversation.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:54:47]
If you want to go to Yada Counselling? YadaCounselling.com is a spiritual counseling. So if you’re interested in a more closer spiritual relationship and mind, body and spirit, then I’m the one to go. You can go to YadaCounselling.com, find the books. You can contact me through, text, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads is all.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:55:13]
The best way is through YadaCounselling.com. We’ll make sure we put the link in the show notes. Yes, people can go there. And I want to thank you so much for joining us and and sharing your journey and some of the wisdom that you’ve learned along the way and hopefully helping inspire some folks to to follow in your footsteps.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:55:33]
Thank you, Dr. Strickland, for everything. Thank you for this opportunity and the one you gave me several years ago in my heart, I mean that from my heart.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:55:42]
Yeah, you’re absolutely welcome. Just want to remind everyone this episode has been brought to you by Dissertation Done so dissertation students reach out to us at DissertationDone.com/done We’ll see if we can help you to fast track your dissertation, get you to graduation sooner than any of your peers. And we’re already out there and you’re an expert. You need to get more exposure. You need you want to level your authority platform or Expand Your Authority coaching program is the way to do this will take you from a blank page to a published author faster than you thought possible, unless perhaps your Dr. Jefferson, who thinks she can get it done in a day. You can reach out to as a DissertationDone.com/book. And we’ll have that conversation again. Dr. Jefferson, thank you so much. I really appreciate having you here today.
Dr. Pensacola Jefferson [00:56:33]
Thank you to Dr. Strickland and everyone else out there.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:56:36]
Have a wonderful day and go out and live your unconventional life, Buhrow.
Outro [00:56:47]
This has been An Unconventional Life. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe now to keep getting inspirational stories of unconventional lives as soon as they’re released. Until then, go out and live your best unconventional life.
