So many PhDs who didn’t get the job you dreamed of struggle with regret about past decisions, especially the one to do the PhD in the first place, but also choices about programs, or jobs, or sacrifices made along the way. You call them all “mistakes.” In this episode, Karen and Kel dig into that pattern and advocate instead for the radical honesty of sitting with your choices, and knowing you made the best decision you could based on the information you had. Replacing regret with grieving opens space for you to feel your strength to make a new decision now with the new information and experiences you’ve gained. This means embracing the truth of “not knowing” (a hard thing for academics!) You didn’t know then what would happen, and you don’t know now what CAN happen – but you have so many skills waiting for their chance to shine.
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