Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, I previously wrote a blog post titled, " What are you Willing to Pay For "?  I noticed a lot of interest in the topic, so I wanted to revisit the idea. You may or may not have heard of  Ramit Sethi , an American personal finance advisor and entrepreneur.  I recently received one of his emails with the headline "Why I Paid $700 a Minute".  The email was so thought-provoking that I'm paraphrasing it with some quotes in blue below. But,  stick with me to the very end...I promise there is a connection to academics, and to YOU. Ramit tells the story of how he bought Jay Abraham’s book  Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got , and applied to take Abraham's course for small-business owners. The course cost $25,000/year and Ramit had to fly from New York City to Los Angeles every 15 months to meet with Abrahams for 45 minutes. Bottom line: Ramit calculated that it cost him $700 a minute to talk with Abrahams. Yet, here’s what he says ...

  Dear Real Academics, This week, I'd like to share a helpful exercise I came across from  Ramit Sethi , a financial coach.  For those interested in the source: Ramit admits that he finds being positive hard. While he  acknowledges  that external circumstances can influence us in very negative ways, he believes positivity is a personal choice .  So, here goes the exercise (Ramit's words are in blue): Today, I want you to answer these three questions: What are all the sources of negativity in your life? Be honest with yourself and write them all down — friends, websites you visit, bars, negative thought patterns, etc. Of those, what are the top three things from that list that really bring you down? For each of those three things, decide how you’re going to flip it from negative to positive. For example, let’s say I hate cleaning my house. It takes a long time, it’s tiring, and it's boring. Here’s how I’d flip it from negative to positive: I can clean while ...

I'd think that most of you want to succeed. I know I do.  I mean, I was the "I'd rather die than fail"-type before life taught me a few lessons...read more about that here if interested. I'm not saying you should not want to succeed. You should.  And I'm not saying you cannot succeed. You can. What I want to say is that if you want to succeed, get ready for a journey with moments of success and moments of failure.  Think about books and films that become "classics". What do they have in common?   Usually, a hero character on a journey with a beginning, middle, and end.  You read/see where the hero is in the beginning.  The hero encounters a difficulty in the middle.  The hero perseveres and comes out transformed in the end, wherein lies the success (be it a tragedy or comedy). The key to the successful transformation?  The hero keeps moving forward. But, forward is not always in a straight line.  Maybe the hero is going one way and life...

Dear Real Academics, This time of the year, there is just so very much going on as the year draws to an end. If you are feeling burn-out, cynicial, or just plain tired, consider doing this one thing: Make a gratitude list.  I learned about this strategy from a friend and mentor who shared Anne Voskamp's, book, A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are: 1,000 Gifts.  The idea behind the book is to write specific things you are grateful for each day, until you reach a list of 1,000 things (and, then, start over!). Why? Because the practice of gratitude is transformational.  Gratitude can actually change your mindset, outlook, and mood. And gratitude in small increments, like any habit, can be incredibly powerful in that transformation (think about incremental change in exercise, diet, and productivity habits). How? All you need is a plain notebook and a pen. Before you go to sleep, write down at least 1 specific thing you are thankful for, for the day.  Some days, this...

Dear Real Academics,  Are you living a fulfilled work life?  I’ve seen people use this logic on social media: We live in a burn-out culture. Therefore, we should  do the minimum required of us at work.  That sounds like a sad way to live out my work life.  To be clear, I’m not advocating burning out in your work life. Nor am I advocating mediocracy. I AM advocating thriving in your work life. [Disclaimer: This post is not about self or time management. These are important concepts. There is no shortage of helpful books and podcasts on the topic. This post is about taking a step back and reflecting on the “bigger picture” regarding fulfillment at work].  If you want to thrive in your work life as an alternative to sad mediocrity or unhealthy burn-out, read on to start taking steps in the right direction:  (1) Answer: What does a fulfilled life mean for you?  A career coach I respect, Ken Coleman , defines a fulfilled life as… “being the person yo...

Dear Real Academics, Are you feeling as though you have too many things on your "to-do" list? Are you wanting to get things done, but feel directionless about where to start? Try these 3 ideas to help you (1) start, (2) get things done, and (3) get the weight of the "to-do list" off your shoulders. (1) Do the hard things first. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” — Dale Carnegie It might sound counter-intuitive, but doing the hard things first will psychologically take a huge weight off of your shoulders and make everything else you need to do feel easier. Take a look at your to do list, and prioritize 2-3 of the most important things you need to get done. Highlight them in some way and commit to doing getting these tasks done (or started) before doing any of the rest. Note: This is why it's often helpful for academics to get their writing done before anything else, especially when they understand that writing is priority for...

Dear Real Academics, If you live in the United States, Halloween is around the corner, and in other parts of the world you may have similar/related holidays. Consequently,  it's hard to not be thinking of things like "scary" and "fear" (even if you do so in a fun/lighthearted way). Instead of dwelling in the darkness, I'd like shed some light by way of solutions. Academia is not devoid of fears.  Here's a running list that could generalize to other aspects of life and work. Not being smart enough. Not belonging. Not graduating. Not getting a job. Not publishing. Not getting tenure. Not being able to find happiness or purpose at work. If you can relate to any of the above, read on for 5 ways to help you get over your fear(s). (1) NAME YOUR FEAR(S). Specifically naming and acknowledging the fear is step one to getting over your fear. Use the list above to name any fears or specify them further. The more specific, the better. (2) SHARE YOUR FEAR(S) WITH SO...