The website has been a little quiet over the past few weeks.
I knew two weeks ago I was going to have to punt every non-academic commitment if I was going to successfully finish my semester and earn my Master's degree. In the past, I think I would've tried to keep my commitment to this website and other creative endeavors even while buried in important and time-sensitive assignments. The result would've been the same (i.e. nothing gets written here) but I would've felt much worse for "failing." I think I'm starting to understand myself and my limitations much better which is allowing me to bring my focus to bear on what really requires it in the moment.
Know Thyself
Knowing yourself and your true capabilities (not what you wish you could do or think you should be able to do) seems to be a key component of being happy with your work. I knew I couldn't do a good job on this website while also completing the academic assignments well. Instead of doing both in a half-assed fashion or feeling bad for neglecting one or the other I made the conscious choice that this website could take a backseat until after graduation. I thought I might feel badly for doing this but I actually discovered I felt the opposite. I felt like my attention was freed up to work on what needed to be done and I didn't feel upset about having to focus on academic work.
I think the key component was that I set a specific date to revisit my creative endeavors, including working on this website. In my task management software I assigned everything non-mission-critical to pop up and be reviewed on the Sunday after graduation. By doing this I knew I wouldn't lose anything to the void and that I wasn't making some sort of nebulous half-commitment to coming back to this. Instead, I knew that on the 19th of May everything I couldn't focus on right now would be there waiting for me and I could make decisions about how I wanted to move forward at that time. Until then, full steam ahead on the term papers!
Back in the Saddle
All of this is a bit of a roundabout way to say I finished all my assignments, walked across the stage last weekend, and now officially own a Master's degree in Positive Developmental Psychology. I'm certainly excited to have completed this phase of my journey. It was great to have my parents fly across the country to spend this time with me and I'm excited to start the next leg of my academic journey in the fall.
However, I'm most excited to dive back into my entrepreneurial and creative efforts. I have big plans for this website over the coming months. I'm taking on more coaching clients and I have ideas for all sorts of projects that may or may not ever see the light of day (but the thought of their future existence is exciting). An advanced degree could be seen as a nice ending point; a big slap on the back for a job well done. I disagree. I prefer to see it as a launching pad and I plan to use it to push forward the science of personal development and the art of working. I hope you'll stick around for the ride.