Happy New Year! I hope you are having a good start to 2023, and that this will be an exciting, successful and happy year for you. At this time of the year, many of us like to think about everything we have to do, or everything we should do better than last year. You get it, I am referring to the classical New Year’s resolutions of adopting a healthier lifestyle, improving time management to feel less stressed, spending less time on social media and more time with family and friends, overcoming procrastination and improving work efficiency. With all the ‘should’s and ‘have-to’s, we are likely exhausted before the year started, and soon we will need lots of chocolate to tackle the frustration of not having been able to live up to our expectations (goodbye healthy lifestyle).
Instead of making your life difficult and frustrating, here is a suggestion: Forget the ‘should’s and ‘have-to’s, and think about the many things you look forward to this year. What are you excited about? This could be anything from the appearance of the first flowers in spring, your summer vacation, a new project you are working on, a skill you are going to learn, or a major career move. Maybe you have to take part in a course that will take away your research time, or you have to revise a paper that came back with many pages of reviewer comments. Well, you could focus on the learning opportunity and the people you will meet during the course, and be grateful that the reviewer took so much time and shares their knowledge to help you improve your paper. Maybe your contract ends this year, and you feel that you have to find a new job. Well, let’s put it this way: you are well-educated, you acquired numerous skills during your time at PSI (and your previous positions), and you built an international network. Highly qualified young talents like you are rare and sought-after in today’s business world. The options are out there, and you have the opportunity to decide: do you want to stay in your current research field, or dive into a new area? Do you want to leave research altogether, and do something completely different? Where would you like to work? Or would you rather take a few months off to travel before you are starting your next position?
If you are like me, you have become a scientist because you like to explore, because you are curious and because you want to learn. So why not treat your job search as an exciting opportunity to explore your options, and try out a new career path? Or view courses as a way to gain new competencies and enlarge your network, and a picky review as room for developing your science skills?
The demands and requirements will remain the same - you will go to the course, revise the paper, and find a new job - but it is a lot easier to do these tasks when, rather than thinking in terms of ‘should’ and ‘have to’ do them, you focus on the aspects you are excited about. It is hard, but definitely worth it. Enjoy 2023!