The Home Stretch: Setting
Your Sights on VICTORY!
by Dr. Robyn J.A. Silverman (The Dissertation
Success Coach)
 I feel like a proud mother. Terry, one of my
dissertation coaching clients, just completed her
dissertation. It's in and she's on her way out (to bigger
and better things)!
Funny, it was only 4 weeks ago that she was nearly ready to
throw in the towel. She was at the home stretch but the process
was weighing heavily on her shoulders. "What more do these
people want from me? How many more changes? I don't want to
read through this thing ever again!"
She didn't sound like herself. That's when we needed to take
a step back and reconnect with the vision. It is easy to get
bogged down with the details of the process when you don't keep
in mind the end result in full techo-color vibrancy.
When I work with clients, I take them through several
visioning processes. One that I often begin with is a 5 step
process:
"Dr. Robyn is an insightful coach who can discern
the patterns for success that work best for her
clients. She can then help her clients see for
themselves what the most efficient course of action
is to accomplish the client's goals.
I began with Dr. Robyn while writing the very first
parts of my dissertation and she kept me on task
and focused all the way to the end. I would
probably still be writing if I hadn't had her as my
coach. I have recommended her without reservation
to several people in similar situations." |
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Leadership Development Coach
Terry Czigan, MDiv, PhD |
(1) See it: Close your eyes. Look at your goal
squarely in the face. What would a neatly bound, completed
dissertation look like? Imagine the evening after a successful
dissertation defense. When you look around, whom do you see?
Where do you picture yourself? Get specific. I often encourage
my clients to put together a vision board that keeps these
pictures in the forefront of their minds. What images remind
you of your goal? What else is within reach after that goal is
achieved?
(2) Sense it: This may take some practice--
especially if you are filled with stress and angst right now.
What will it feel like to achieve your goal? What do you hear
around you? What does victory taste like and smell like? The
more visceral you can make your goal, the more driven you will
be to achieve it.
"A good coach can ask all the right questions. Dr
Robyn surely does that for me. I've been with Dr.
Robyn for almost a year now and she's been a
terrific asset to me personally.
In the times when I'm not sure where we're headed,
its important for me to know I've got a partner
with special abilities I can trust.Dr Robyn is "on
the outside looking in" for me." |
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| Steven W. Schechner |
(3) Say it: We are often caught using the future
tense when talking about the completion of our dissertation. "I
will finish it" might sound good to you but it doesn't put you
in action. In fact, that kind of language can invite
procrastination. Who says when the "I will" will actually take
place? When speaking about your goal, say it as if it is
happening right now; "I am finishing my dissertation by
December," "I am a graduate of XYZ University."
I am eternally grateful for the coaching I have
received from Dr. Robyn
over the past few months. The dissertation process
had really taken its
toll on me. After seemingly breezing through
qualifiers, course work, and
comp exams; I became blocked on my dissertation. As
time went on, my
self-esteem started to plummet. I tried several
things in desperation, but
I knew I had to take action in some way. I found
Dr. Robyn on the Web.
From my first contact with Dr. Robyn, I knew I had
found someone special
to work with me. She was so energetic and up-beat.
Among, Dr. Robyn’s many
gifts, is her ability to zoom in on practical
solutions for problems.
These solutions are not generic, but personalized
and right on target.
Dr. Robyn never allowed me to feel down. It is hard
to believe that after
over a year of procrastination and avoidance, I
went from zero chapters to
three in three months. I’ll be defending my
proposal soon.
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| Eve LaPier |
(4) Believe it: Sometimes we feel as if we are lying
to ourselves. Do I really think I'll finish? That kind of
goal-robbing gremlin needs to be put to rest. If you don't
really believe that you'll be able to succeed, you probably
won't. When you have unwavering commitment and conviction in
your goal, nothing can stop you. Be sure to put any voices of
doubt to bed so that you can concentrate on taking action and
making things happen.
(5) Achieve it: This is an active process. Achieving
your goal means following your plan, ticking off your check
list, and moving forward. Are you closer to your goal than you
were yesterday? If so, you are in the process of achieving your
goal. And of course, once you check off the last item on your
list, the final part of achieving your goal is celebrating your
success!
Where are you in the visioning process? Have you set your
goals and intentions? Have you created your plan? Once you
established where you're going, the path is clear. Now all you
have to do is follow it!
Let's face it...the most successful people in the
world all have a Success Secret! World
Class Athletes have coaches, Students have Teachers, and many
Entrepreneurs have Executive Coaches. Do YOU have a
Success Coach? I'd LOVE to personally help you achieve
the success you deserve. If
you'd like a FREE 20 Minute coaching session with
ME, please complete the following questionairre
and we'll schedule a convenient time to speak soon. Don't
Deny Yourself the Peace of Mind that comes with knowing you're
on track to complete your dissertation. I'm ready to help
you.
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"It was great to speak to you today. We discussed
issues, answers and realities that I already knew
but was trying hide so I wouldn't have to think
about them. Talking about them out loud with
someone who isn't in my situation (ie. parents,
friends...) was great because it got me to say what
I really needed to get out without being
judged." |
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| Krista F, New York, New York |
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