It is a sunny Saturday in Toronto and I am at the library for my regular stint. I feel fantastic because last Tuesday I submitted my thesis!! It continues to feel strange because it has been such a long journey, with so many adjusted timelines, that I can’t quite believe that this stage of the doctorate has been completed. Yet, on the table in front of me is a bound 263 page thesis with the University of Reading seal, entitled: “A Study of Relationships Between Gender, Self-Perceptions of Transformational Leadership, Leadership Outcomes, and Promotion in Canadian Credit Unions”. Wow!!
A few years ago a recent DBA graduate told me that the last year of her doctorate had been a real grind, but then she just knew that it was good enough to submit. My experience was similar. Over the last few weeks, I have been editing the chapters to tighten up the writing, grammar, punctuation, and formatting, and then I knew that it was time to submit. It is not perfect, but I am confident that it is a very good piece of research, and I am proud of my submission. In short, I knew that it was time to submit.
After submission I enjoyed a short mini-break at the spa with a girlfriend who just completed her MA. We had a terrific time and it was really nice to celebrate our achievements with some fun and relaxation.
My focus for the next few weeks is to prepare for my VIVA which I hope will take place in mid-March. Today I am going to update my VIVA preparation plan and start to complete the tasks. It is going to be important to maintain the momentum over the next few weeks because despite submitting the thesis, which is a huge achievement, the doctoral journey is still not complete. I need to stay focused because I want to finish STRONG!!!