Episode 21 – Mastery vs. Perfection

May 25, 2020
Episode 21 – Mastery vs. Perfection
The Professor Is In
Episode 21 – Mastery vs. Perfection

May 25 2020 |

/

Show Notes

The trouble with academia is, you set out to master a field but you end up demanding perfection of yourself, forgetting that perfection is not possible. Real mastery is not an outcome but a process, ie, embracing continual curiosity and being unafraid to confront what you don’t know to open the door to learning more. Karen and Kel talk about recovering this beginner’s curiosity by asking: Who is the inner/outer critic telling you you’re not good enough, and remembering that no external validation will make you achieve “perfection” -especially when the systems of validation are racist, sexist, classist, and exclusionary. As Toni Morrison says: the goal of racism is distraction. In the end, you can say this: I don’t have prove it to you I just have to deliver it.

Other Episodes

Episode

January 21, 2020
Episode Cover

Episode 3 – Resisting the Culture of Overwork

Karen and Kel stay on the theme of “never enough”; this week, they talk about how the academy revolves around” competitive overworking,” and how...

Listen

Episode

April 14, 2020
Episode Cover

Episode 15 – Stop Fighting

Nothing is normal and you’re angry, scared, exhausted…on repeat every day. Karen and Kel talk about our new emotional landscape and accepting where you...

Listen

Episode 0

April 22, 2022 00:42:18
Episode Cover

Ep 3:21 Surviving Your New Academic Thing

We did a survey recently and the message loud and clear was: please give us more advice about just… surviving in academia!  So today...

Listen