Here I am, wrapping the term up. Where did the time go? It's hard to believe it's already here. Did I savor it, or did I swallow it? Let's recall this term and find out.
This blog post will be dedicated to understanding some of the key lessons gained and hopefully come away with some ideas moving forward.
Lesson #1: There are 24 hours in a day
We know that. But the question is what are we doing with these hours? If I had to be blunt, I do believe I was spending a good chunk of my time on school-work. This is not a critique of the program, but I felt that it was about dedication. I wanted to feel that I was accomplishing something. As my friend said about the NY Subway system, "it costs 2.75 regardless of distance, but you realize how much time it takes to get from point A to point B." This is to say, we all have the same resource-the ticket, or the day. But how far we are willing to wait (or in this case-work) to get from start to finish is up to us. Time as a resource is something I hadn't really seen in this light until I started this program. You realize that what you put into something is what you will get out of it.
Lesson #2: Have a Cookie
Sometimes we work hard, and taking a break once in a while is necessary. As was mentioned before, a lot of my time was dedicated to working on school work. But I also wanted to cherish my breaks. I bought myself snacks and helped myself be motivated by telling myself that I could have something if I finished something. This helped with procrastination significantly. Drive is key, but reward is also important. Being proud of what you have done is a really valuable way of staying on top of things as well. Praising a journey and not a result will motivate you much more. "Look what you did to get here" sounds much more praiseworthy than "Look where you ended up." As if there was somewhere better to be. Enjoy yourself and remember it's going to be okay.
Going Forward...
This program is only one year. I want to maximize it. I want to work on advocating for myself and ensuring that I squeeze every drop of resource out of this place before I leave. Asking for help with networking and professional help, finding ways to utilize different tools and tricks the department has and exploring new ways to express my historian identity.
As I have explored throughout this blog project, I have come to understand of certain ways to approach the study of history, its relevancy, insights and maybe even some of its problems. I chose to become a historian because I wanted to take action. It might seem to be a contradiction: wanting to work for the future, while remaining in the past. This week's quote asks the question if not now when? Indeed, as historians, we have the past to look at and grapple with, but we also have a hopeful future to craft. We can do this by helping create meaningful institutions, programs and writings that speak to all perspectives and use those varying experiences to tell a fuller and more impactful story of our world.
Thanks again for following these last few months.