My PhD Journey – by Uma Panch
The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps — we must step up the stairs — Vance Havner
Source:Uma Panch Medium
Those who know me would have heard me talk nonstop about my aspirations to pursue a PhD since 2017. This aspiration was seeded in my mind when I was studying my I was studying for my Master of International Tourism and Hospitality Management at The Hotel School, Sydney. An environment that nurtured and nourished my passion and purpose. I am pleased to share that I thrived with four awards including the DUX Award for 6.7/7 GPA and the Entrepreneur Award for my positive contribution to society. This morning I decided to pause, review and reflect on my journey thus far. I think it’s time to take a moment to share a piece of great news, some challenges and wins over the past two years.
I am mighty glad to announce that I have finally embarked on my PhD journey, starting with a Master of Research, leading to a PhD program at Western Sydney University with the School of Business. Yay! This calls for some champagne!. My topic of research revolves around “Mindfulness for Workplace Wellness”. A purpose and passion-driven project. My supervisors are Dr Pheroza Daruwalla and Dr Karina Wardle, I could have never asked for anything more. Many have told me that the success of your PhD depends significantly on your supervisors, and I’m so blessed to have such experienced, knowledgeable and supportive supervisors. So far, I have performed exceptionally well with high distinctions in my course work and looking forward to this exciting journey of learning, growing and contributing.
All this sounds super cool and smooth, right? Not really.
The silver lining
While I can breathe a sigh of relief, it has not been an easy ride. I encountered so many challenges, roadblocks and, at one point, total saturation. Everything from topic and university selection, supervisor match, the application process, research proposal, everything in between, was quite overwhelming and exhausting. In 2020 April, I decided to break from the madness and travel to clear my mind. But the universe had different plans for me. With COVID 19, my flight ticket was cancelled, and I was stuck. Initially, I felt trapped, but COVID gave me new perspectives. Within the next few months, I had a crystal clear direction for my PhD, and that was a silver lining for me in the COVID crisis.
Back to University
One would think that you would be excited for the first day of uni, and so did I think. But that was not the case. What was interesting was what happened on the big day.
I broke down big time!
Rewind: 10 am 5th March 2021, my first day at week 0 of the MRes program, I logged into zoom for my first unit, Research and Development 1, with tears flooding my eyes and rolling down my chubby cheeks, petrified about my research and academic life ahead. This was very uncharacteristic for a headstrong and heart strong women like me. One compulsive question from my inner villain’s voice that clouded my mind was, “Uma, what have you got me into? I did not sign up for this?” Here is where my inner hero stepped up and said, “Uma, feel the fear and do it anyway. You’ve got this, and I’ve got your back.”
….True story!
Fast Forward to 25th May 2021, I am glad and proud of how far I have come. This was and will not be easy, but I know it will be absolutely worthwhile. With a laser focus and tunnel vision, I am super confident that I will make my one and only master vision for a Doctorate degree a reality.
A note of thanks…
I want to take this opportunity to thank some of the outstanding people who believed in me, who identified that I was a PhD product before I knew it. A big thanks to you!
A researchers life is high maintenance. The next few years are going to be intensely demanding for all of me. I can already feel the heat, and I am pretty busy juggling my academic, professional and personal life. But I am not afraid because MINDFULNESS is my armour.
Thanks to my family and friends who are offering help and encouragement. My brother has been a pillar of support and said “Uma, let’s do this whatever it takes”. My mum “Uma, there are no PhDs in our family and I am thrilled you will be the first. My dad “I will be so proud to say my daughter is Dr Uma”. My lovely sister so supportive of my social enterprise. One of my lovely friends called me and said, “I am so excited about your research journey. What can I do to make your life easy? I can cook food, make sure you take adequate rest and socialise”.
Burnt toast and undried clothes
Most importantly, thanks to my lovely sons who have patiently put up with my busyness and craziness. Burnt food, undried clothes and missed calls have become the new normal ;-). Thanks to my laser vision and tunnel focus, the world around me shuts down when I am engaged in research. So far I am doing pretty good as a full-time academic, trainer and coach, part-time mother (mum often missing in action) and a casual homemaker (messy home)…My rationale…. the home must be amusing and not a museum… lol.
Jokes apart, while there were many critical challenges, I took detours and breaks but did not give up on my vision. What drives me to be persistent in the pursuit of knowledge is the quest to make a difference in the lives of others and contribute to knowledge.
That is my vision, what is yours?
You see, if your WHY is big enough, your HOW will make its way.
A small insight….
It was my grit, perseverance and determination, most specifically my tunnel vision, that helped me navigate through rough times.
Next time you decide to chase a dream, start with these 5W and 1H questions.
- Why are you doing this?
- What will you get out of it?
- When will you start?
- Where would you like to do it?
- Who would want to support you?
- How do you intend to pursue it?
One of the most important aspects that helped me navigate through tough times was my Samurai Mindset — The ability to train my mind to work for me rather than against me.
I leveraged key success principles like a strong vision, clear goals, strategic plan, supporting values, empowering beliefs, positive attitude, and massive action.
The purpose of this article is to express my gratitude to all my well-wishers and inspire and motivate those who are on a similar journey to become the greater and grander version of themselves.
Want to learn more about how to achieve a Samurai Mindset and break barriers to achieve your goals?
Join me for a 15 minutes virtual coffee chat!
Over to you……
What do you think of my story?
What is your story?
What is your vision?
I would love to hear from you. Perhaps share your thoughts with a dash of wishes, a doze of blessing, a sprinkle of emoji, or a splash of like, comment or share.
Don’t forget to stay tuned for more on my journey.
Blissfully your
Uma Panch
Transformational Mindset Coach | Trainer |Researcher | Lecturer
