MAP YOUR DREAM: Likely the Only Way to Fulfill It
A catchphrase, “Follow your dream!” is about pursuing the endpoints of the aspiration tier. {ENDPOINT TIERS}
Unfortunately, it does not instruct us when we are ready to formulate the dream to follow. And how to do it.
The noble idea of dedicating your life to something you utterly enjoy is infested by campy oppositions of “live vs. exist,” “art vs. craft,” “genius vs. crowd,” and the like. These parasites severely impede mapping your trip to the dream and reduce your chances of achieving it. {INFORMATION ASYMMETRY}
Having a dream or, better said, an aspiration is in no way opposed to craftsmanship. To reach that “dream endpoint,” one must become an expert craftsman. The journey always starts at the task tier and always demands self-discipline. Becoming an accomplished musician or researcher is only possible if you stay focused and perform tasks at the bottom level.
The other common problem is the inability to connect the endpoint tiers: tasks to goals and goals to aspirations.
If your endpoint is far, you must ensure feedback on your way toward it. It should show you if you are getting closer. Figure out how to get the feedback and connect your aspirations with the daily tasks. Then, you will have short delays and high expectations that will keep you motivated. Nonetheless, it is good to remember that the farther the endpoint, the more patience you need. {DELAY, FEEDBACK, EXPECTANCY, MOTIVATION THEORIES, SELF-DISCIPLINE}
How can it apply to a Ph.D. project? There are different tiers in research work. The aspiration tier might be to impact the world with your research. Can it happen? Yes. Nonetheless, having such aspiration as the only endpoint is the surest way to get demotivated very soon—it is a vanity trap.
You can treat the entire Ph.D. part of your life as a goal toward changing the world with your research.
What you do in your Ph.D. project is turn this goal into tasks: To be considered a researcher, you must have acquired a certain amount of knowledge, published a certain amount of papers, and presented the results of your work regularly. Thus, you primarily focus on the goal and the task tiers in your daily work.
Does it mean you forget about the aspiration tier? Of course not. Your aspiration tier usually benefits from things you do not do daily—ye shall not commit certain sins.
If you aspire to change the world with your research, you must forgo any foul play in research and resist the temptation to publish faster than you cerebrate. In essence, you abstain from everything that can later prevent you from getting there.