POTUS 15 and Dissertations
April 23rd marks the birthday of the 15th President of the United States. Here’re some words of wisdom from James Buchanan that you can apply to your dissertation…
William Shakespeare said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
I’d humbly offer a fourth option: Some men have greatness thrusted in their general direction…and they duck.
Such was the case with James Buchanan. Buchanan’s policies toward the slavery debate were analogous Neville Chamberlain’s in Europe, some 80 years later…and fared equally well.
But there has to be something we can learn from him. Right?
Ok, here’s a quote maybe we can work with:
I am the last President of the United States!
— James Buchanan, upon the secession of South Carolina
You know how you sometimes feel like the weight of the world is riding on your dissertation? Well, it isn’t.
James Buchanan didn’t do everything he could to stand up to slavery, and the U.S. found itself in the Civil War. Neville Chamberlain didn’t do everything he could to stand up to the Nazis, and Britain found itself in World War II.
What’ll happen if you don’t do everything you can do to get your dissertation none? Nothing, really. You’ll still have your same life. Perhaps with a few more students loans to pay off, but everything else will go on largely unchanged.
The fate of the Western World does not hinge on you getting your dissertation done. Your dissertation’s just not that important in the grand scheme of things.
So, stopping acting like you’re diffusing some kind of global bomb. Try something. If that doesn’t work, try something else. And, whatever you try, it shouldn’t be some grand ode to dissertations. Your dissertation can simply be a dissertation.
Good enough to graduate gets the job done. So, try not to stress. Stress leads to inaction. Keep your feet moving. Get in, get out, and graduate!
…then, you can work on saving the world!
Not sure what action to take, right now? Then, 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.
