Hippos and Dissertations

February 15th is Hippo Day. Even so, the hippopotamus is not your dissertation spirit animal…

There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
— Carl Sandburg

Anyone who dares to pursue a doctoral degree has a certain amount of eagle inside of themselves. You have that desire to soar. You want to offer more to the world than does your fellow man.

But, there are times when the process weighs heavily. You feel stuck in the mud, and it can be so easy to just stay there. It’s more comfortable to not fight it, but instead, to accept that you’re stuck as the mud oozes around your toes, your ankles, your knees.

Have you ever indulged in just wallowing in the mud? Even if you don’t like the visual, if you’re honest with yourself, I’m sure that you’ve wallowed in the muck and the mud of your dissertation at some point.

The problem with wallowing in the mud is that you don’t get much of anywhere. Hippos spend roughly 16 hours each day in the same river, lake, or pond.

Not much chance of finishing a dissertation that way. Huh?

If you’re feeling a bit stuck in the mud with your dissertation and you’re ready to break free of the muck and really soar, click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.