Chapter 4: Living to Learn and Learning to Live: A Story of Perspective, Professionalism, Purpose, and Perseverance

I was in the midst of my first year as a doctoral student and the task of choosing a dissertation topic that was just the right fit seemed like an insurmountable task at the time. How was I supposed to settle on just one narrow topic to dedicate the next several years of my life to? Since it was 2:00 in the morning, landing on the perfect title would seem silly to most; however, those who are going through the same process know exactly what I mean. To me, having the perfect title was everything. I somehow could not convince myself to continue writing until I had a title that stuck. In a moment of panic, I picked up my phone and called my friend of 13 years, Tommy, who is a year ahead of me in the process. He picked up the phone and I immediately start rattling off my different dissertation titles. Tommy gently said, “You do know that I am leaving for India in the morning and I still need to pack?” And I respond with, “Yes, I know, but I am meeting with my professor tomorrow, so I need to figure this out!”