For PhD success: Work on your Emotional Intelligence!!
Academic intelligence, expertise in Research Methodology and other traits are what we know as the prerequisites for doing your Ph.D. But there is more beyond this. Your emotional strength and skill are very vital in ensuring how smoothly you sail through the tough stage of your PhD:
- Have a realistic assessment of self: Some scholars have a lot of air about themselves, just because they think they have accomplished a lot by just enrolling into a PhD and they exhibit that over confidence in their work and that sometimes leads to their failure. At the same time, there are some who keep placing others on a higher pedestal and do not trust their own ability to accomplish things in life. You should judge yourself correctly and have a fair assessment of your strengths and weaknesses so that you know that what you should be working at and what needs improvisation for timely success.
- Know you own goals well: It isn’t necessary that all Ph.D. scholars would eventually be having the same goals for themselves. In fact, that is never true. Each person who decides to enroll into a Ph.D. program has a different expectation from life and career. Don’t confuse others goals as yours. If you do that, you may lose track of your direction. One important thing to know here is that goals are not achieved by staying in one’s comfort zone. You will have to give your goals that give you challenges to accomplish.
- Maintain your individuality within the group: You wold have to work in a team, be in a group or do things where you may feel that your opinion and distinctiveness is not getting highlighted. To make yourself visible in a group or in front of your supervisor, you must ensure to be sure of your effort and find ways to highlight the contribution you are making without actually offending the other person.
Become a Problem Resolver: There are people who just keep looking at a problem, and there are folks who see a problem and then divert their focus towards the solution. Become the latter type as that is the key to emotional strength. Ph.D. will keep throwing problems at you, every day. If you keep them with you, they will bury you under them. With a solution- oriented approach, divert your focus towards resolving the problem and not brooding over it.
