Last week my husband defended his doctoral dissertation at USC.
To me, that just sounds smart and impressive.
And I’m honestly not bragging when I say it really is.
For the past couple of months, he has spent endless hours on his dissertation, which is a huge research paper you have to complete to receive your doctoral degree.
And by huge, I mean coming up with a new idea that hasn’t been studied before, then conducting research by reading several hundred articles and books, and then writing several hundred pages to bring it all together.
And while my husband truly is super smart and has never struggled academically, this paper really gave him a run for his money.
The biggest thing standing in his way?
Something many doctorial students face: Overcoming Procrastination on doctoral thesis
He is exceptional under pressure and really thrives when the heat is turned up. But when a deadline isn’t right in front of him, he struggles to get started.
And that’s not to say he doesn’t want to start- I’ve seen him try to make himself work on something. But the truth is unless he’s under the gun, he can’t seem to focus.
So while I am so proud of him for having the courage to pursue a doctorate at a competitive school like USC, and super impressed that his paper was well received by his doctoral committee, I’m the most impressed that he locked in, buckled down, and got it done.
Because just like I would struggle with concepts and exams, he has struggled with focusing in on writing.
And despite the pressure, stress, and endless hours, he has stayed positive and upbeat throughout.
He was in a good mood, even when he was only getting three hours of sleep a night. And even when he couldn’t do anything on this past Father’s Day weekend except write, he still had a smile on his face.
He really does amaze me. Many times I’m shocked that someone as smart as him finds me even remotely interesting.
But all that matters to me is that he does. Because I certainly find him fascinating!
