I was on my college basketball team, and I was quite passionate about basketball. I found a way to manage both – well, until my final semester.
As I reached my final semester, things got complicated as the basketball tournament happened to coincide with my dissertation plan. I still went for practice and did what I could with my dissertation. That’s when I started hearing voices from people - What Happens If You Fail Your Dissertation? What if this, what if that? I did not care about it and went about business as usual. And guess what? I managed to crack my dissertation and also won the tournament.
The key was the mindset – I did not let the pressure of expectation drown me, nor did I let the fear of failure take over – I pursued my passion without caring about what others expected of me – and it worked.