A is for Achievement #atozchallenge

I wanted to start the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge with something positive. Today was a big day for me, so I thought I’d blog about achievement.

This morning, I submitted my master’s thesis, called “The After-Effects of Near Death Experience,” for approval. As long as the required corrections aren’t too severe, I should have my master’s degree in parapsychology soon.

It’s been a long, tough slog.

I’ve been working on this for almost five years, first on the courses that fulfill the programme requirements, and then on the master’s thesis. Not having it looming over my head anymore feels surreal but exciting.

Five years ago, when I first considered enrolling in the masters programme, the prospect of the huge amount of work and time it would consume daunted me. But someone once said to me that the time will pass whether you do something or not, so I committed to getting the degree.

The time passed, and now the goal is within reach.

I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, especially my husband. But I’d never have gotten here if I hadn’t started and then persevered. There were days when I couldn’t stand the thought of how far I still had to go, but I forced myself to concentrate on the thing I had to do right then to keep the momentum going, even if it was just to inch along.

It’s easier to achieve a long-term goal if you keep the end in sight, but focus on each step you have to take to get there.

Yet I find that as soon as one goal has been achieved, I’m already eyeing the next one. While I’ll have to wait a while before I can dive into the Ph.D. programme, I’ve got a couple of novels that need my attention. One is almost ready to go to my editor, the other is in first draft and needs me to read through and revise.

So, onward and upward.