Research is not easy and not uncommon to see scholars burning out on it. Statistics have revealed that only a small percentage of scholars who begin PhD work are able to complete it and most of the drop outs, astonishingly are voluntary. The reasons for dropping out can be various, ranging from better prospects elsewhere, more money in another field, a good job offer, marriage or some more but a lot of scholars also do leave their PhD out of sheer frustration with the challenges associated with doing a research. Wouldn’t it be better is someone warned you in advance about how emotionally draining can a PhD journey be so that you can arm and equip yourself with the demands of the journey and also know that all the ups and downs are the necessary and generalised part of the journey and you aren’t the only one facing it’s brunt.
At the foremost, you must know that risk is a part of research and a research that doesn’t have in it an element of risk isn’t really a research but a research failing isn’t really a personal failure. It is a failure of the research and rather it is your accomplishment to have taken up a project that has such great amount of risk associated with it.
If you feel little in front of people who often show success in research and bring out publications one after the other, know that n they have had their own set of struggle and failures and we get to only see the best in the upfront. It is quite likely that their successful projects have risen up after repeated failures.
Throughout your career your accumulated failures are a proof of your hard word and repeated attempts. Many a successful scholars would tell you that from a piled up stack of repeated failures would you find the cues for success, maybe few years down the line. So don’t get disheartened by initial setbacks and failures, rather they are a stepping stone to success. Research often takes more than it ought to so if your task takes longer, don’t worry, that is nothing but a thumb rule of research.
It is crucial for research as well as for you to set for you set short term goals for yourself and make research an everyday part of your life so that small little achievements can lead to greater accomplishments. Get into a pact with a friend so that they can motivate you and you could keep a tab on each other’s accomplishments.
When and if you get stuck somewhere, don’t give up. It is all part of the job.