The Superwoman Complex

"I want to be 125 lbs by the time I go to Vegas for my girlfriends bachelorette party".  Sounds reasonable right?  What I don't tell you is that my girlfriends bachelorette party is in two weeks and I have 15 lbs to go.  All of the sudden that reasonable goal doesn't seem so reasonable.  So why do we make such heartbreaking goals, knowing that the outcome will only be disappointing. In my personal life, I have taken to making S.M.A.R.T goals.  I am a busy professional, a full time student, the mother of a toddler, the wife of a wonderful man, a friend, a housekeeper, and whatever myriad of hats fall on my head at that given moment.  S.M.A.R.T goals help me to compartmentalize personal, professional, and scholastic goals. What is a S.M.A.R.T goal?  S pecific M easurable A ttainable R ealistic T imely ( http://topachievement.com/smart.html )  For example:  My goal above is to lose 15 lbs in two weeks.  A S.M.A.R.T goal would be, I will modify my eati

Residency Lessons Learned Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.  - Ella Williams             The doctoral process is one of self-discovery and purpose.   There are many factors that lead to the possibility of withdrawal.   Many doctoral learners find that they are overwhelmed by course load; they have feelings of inadequacy, and isolation (West, Gokalp, Gokce & Edlyn, 2011). There are personal biases and assumptions that doctoral students have about the process, the program, and the types of community they will be entering into.             Through the doctoral residency program, I have learned three major life lessons.   While these three lessons are dominant, they are not inclusive.   This personal reflection will discuss lessons learned in regards to: 1.       The Doctoral Dissertation timeline and expectations 2.       Overcoming assumptions on the program and the doctoral community 3.       Creating a cohort community for support and positive applic

As you can see, it has been incredibly difficult to keep up with the blog as of late.  Partly because I have not allowed myself to find balance, partly because I am still sleep deprived.  With a move on the horizon, the new job and school, it is a wonder that I even made it here to AZ for my residency.  It is sad that it took a trip for study for me to slow down. The last two months have been a whirlwind of experiences. I ended my 14 and a half year career with Outback Steakhouse on Mother's day.  This was a bittersweet day which ended and era in my life.  My new position is much less social, and much more formal than my previous. This is both a positive and a negative for me.  I have in essense lost my childhood best friend, who has decided not to be in my life any longer through misscommunications on both of our parts. Even with this sadness, I am the happiest that I have been.  I am enjoying my studies, as I learn about transformational leadership, it has been amazing t