10 things we have learned in the last 10 years - Part 3
Plus the Saturday Scholar
Here we are again with the 10 things in 10 years challenge - Part 3 this time!
Learn how to rest. There seems to be a culture of guilt around rest and a constant strive for productivity, which is not a bad thing if it’s healthy and doesn’t exhaust people to their limits.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, there was a time during the pandemic where in I didn’t have so much work due to the lockdown; I found myself with a much smaller income and too much time on my hands. The smaller income was a huge issue for me, as I was also in the midst of moving house; but unbelievably a lot of free time was also an issue and I hadn’t been used to not working and just doing nothing.
My PhD was about to start a few months later, so I couldn’t really keep fully busy with that and I thought, okay here goes:
I started reading material for my PhD, no matter if I didn’t have a reading list yet.
I watched all the movies I wanted to - and some really great ones! One of them was The Bookshop and the other was The Unbearable Lightness of Being, based on the book by Milan Kundera.
I read all the books that had been waiting on my bookshelves.
I started making bread - like so many people during lockdown! My specialty was Irish soda bread 🍞
Failure is actually a good thing. To be honest, in the past my self-confidence didn’t do well with failure. When I started applying for PhD programs though, and I kept being rejected or told I need to improve my proposal (and we are talking about more than 30 applications), I ended up in the absolute best program I could have hoped for, with the best supervisors ever! So really, don’t give up! Keep going.
The Saturday Scholar
Today’s Saturday Scholar is an amazing academic and entrepreneur that I am fortunate enough to know very well and call my employer!
Dr. Roland von Euw is the founder of vE Educational Excellence Ltd liab. Co. He holds a PhD in Education from the University of Liverpool. He is also the CEO of several other brands:
He has also been a fantastic guest on my podcast, Meet the PhDs so click below to have a listen!
He combines two great aspects - academia and entrepreneurship, and he respects all his clients and employees.
He really is the best boss I have ever had!