How do I motivate myself to go for my PhD?

Question

There is no immediate financial incentive, deadline, or other external pressure to motivate me. The internal pressure/incentive comes from wanting to academically achieve more than my parents (older generation), enjoying learning, the challenge of acheiving the highest level of education I can, and yes, the "Dr" sounds good behind my name :) However, I know I will continue postponing it because I'm intimdated by the horror stories, it's a large task and I'm afraid of starting and failing.

Please don't tell me how I don't need to go for it or try to discourage me. I'm looking for tips to mentally push and motivate myself to start the process.

I have taken the GRE already and feel passionately about the subject I want to study. And my fear is to start but get discouraged and just never finish....having wasted time, money and energy.

Answer 1

I think, one of the best motivational statements there is simply is the Marine Corps slogan, "Be All that You Can Be!"

Why not digest and absorb that into your spirit until it overflows from inside of you? God wants us to be all that we can be. Sure, you could simply remain at the point you are, but when the opportunity is there...why not strive for more to develop your inner being to be absolutely the best that you can be? Sure, you could linger back for fear of failure, but should you?

Fear comes from the devil. The devil comes to rob, steal and destroy. Why let fear or Satan rob you of your best. Be like the "Little Train" who said, "I think, I can. I think, I can!"

You know what, I think, you can too. Now all that is left is for you think you can. It matters little or nothing to have a higher education that generations past. What matters now is striving for the BEST that YOU can be! I think, you can!

Answer 2

I dont want to discourage you, it seems you are already discouraged.
If you cannot stand a critical analyses of what you said, you should not enroll for a PhD.

You say are impressed with horror stories. Horror stories are just stories aren't they..

To be honest, your reasons to go for it look 'wrong' (I know, who am I to judge between wrong and right..):

1) achieve more then your parents -> there are other, and easier, more rewarding ways to make your parents proud. In your perception a PhD will make you and them feel better.
Yes but at what price? And could you not invest this energy in something else with better results?
This brings me to the fundamental question why you need this achievement to feel better, asif you dont feel happy now and you assume a PhD will solve your unhappiness.
You could do something else to make you feel better, happier and more complete, and gain respect from your parents and environment, without sacrifising years of your life.

2) enjoy learning: that sounds like a better reason, but still, you could read a book or take a course in the subject(s) you are interested in. Doing a PhD is the most extreme action here, far beyond 'enjoyment' of education.

3) Dr in front of the name sounds good .. you know yourself when you say this that this is not a valid reason. Starting a PhD for the "status" is ethically wrong, and will probably not keep you motivated either. If you feel unsure and have low self esteem and think a PhD is going to cover this up you will be dissapointed.

So far the negative comments. In the second part I read "passion" which is encouraging. You say you are unsure if you could do it, that is a normal fear I would think. The second part of your description sounds better to me.
Please be honest with yourself. I think you know the answer yourself, are you passionate enough, and are you in it for the good reasons (not 'dr' in front of your name or to improve your self esteem), only you can answer this.
I wish you the best.

Answer 3

Do you like the subject that you are going to be studying at the highest level? If you don't really care for the subject and just want to prove that you can do it, my advice is to forget it. It's not going to work out for you. I'm not trying to discourage you, just state the facts. One of the tests for doctoral candidates is the comprehensive oral exam. In order to study for this exam you are going to be made about as sick and tired as you can imagine studying everything possible in your discipline. This exam tests your abilities on many levels. It is the equivalent of the intern stage for medical doctors. If you lack the maturity and the basic love of your chosen field, you will not succeed in any reputable doctoral program. In short, the motivation must come from within you and it must be deeply felt. Good luck. I hope your decision is the right one for you.
"...my fear is to start but get discouraged and just never finish....having wasted time, money and energy".
That's the chance you take. If you succeed, you can work in your field at the highest level. You will be able to teach at universities around the world and do research and publish papers that will add to the knowlege base. You can do this with a masters level degree but it is very difficult and you will never be a full professor. My advice to you is to forget about trying to impress anyone because it won't work and it makes you look really bad. Study for the love of it and that's all.

Answer 4

I'm currently coming to the end of my PhD and have to admit that if I'd known then what I know now I would not have started it. Now I've come too far and can't wait to write "Dr" in front of my name. I can also imagine the huge sense of acheivement after handing in the final, post viva report. If you believe you can cope with the intense work, long nights and lack of social life then go for it. you'll feel great after all the hard work and will be so proud of yourself.

I've heard that it's very rare for a student to fail a PhD outright, the worst I've heard is "Pass with major corrections" which gives you extra time to finish the work. Don't worry about starting and failing... finding the motivation and routine is the hardest thing in my experience.

Answer 5

Keep watching your wage packet over the next 7 / 8 years. A degree alone is not worth the paper it is written on.... The standard of testing at degree level, or lack of decent consistency within, now means that every aspect of educational achievement is under-appreciated, or valued very lowly.
As your earnings will be the same as when you left Uni, you will s h it yourself, as you notice that those who followed the 'work experience' route, will, A/ Be receiving a higher wage than you at your entry level, and B/ Top yourself, as you continue to watch their wage INCREASE!!
Only with an M.A., M.Arch., or PhD.... will you have greater earning potential!!
And forget competing with your parents!!! My dad, the unholy toss pot, earned more, at the time of retirement, tugging s h it from drains...as a Plumber & Heating Engineer.... in 4 / 5 hours, than I could in 2 weeks as an Architect, with a B.A.(Hons.), And a Masters in International Architecture, gold sheet tucked under my arm. And to this day... has forgotten more about building than I will probably ever know!! He did a two year Apprenticeship in 1956... at 14!!!

Answer 6

Just do it! It really is as simple as that you do not want to be discouraged yet your thinking mind is doing exactly that. When you have made the commitment and are under the stress to achieve, things will work themselves out. Nothing truly worthwhile in life comes easy so be prepared and optimistic.

Answer 7

Think about the people that will benefit from you getting your PHD. THink about how good it sounds to hear Dr. in front of your name. If there were any, think of the people who said you can't do it. But most of all, think about how good the act of acheiving your ultimate goal will be.
I hope my corny sports movie- like speech helped. Go for it, I am going for my PHD as well, thats how I think about it.

Answer 8

Unless and until you align your life's passion with the goal of getting the PhD, you will always struggle to get it.

If passions lie in a different direction than the degree, I say follow the passion.

Answer 9

find a hobby that u r sure will take you 8 years to learn. education takes time.

Answer 10

Think of the end result.