True but not real.

Is writing a dissertation hard? I would say both yes and no. The actual process of writing the document wasn’t difficult. The hard part was the inner battle that took place during the writing.

I could learn proper APA 7 formatting—using an en dash instead of a hyphen, ensuring journal titles were italicized, and making sure punctuation wasn’t italicized. These technical aspects were manageable. The real challenge was overcoming my inner critic—the persistent voice that insisted I wasn’t doing it the right way, that it wasn’t good enough, and that I was wrong to even pursue a doctorate.

The thoughts were real, but I ultimately realized that although they felt real, they weren’t true. Just like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny—these ideas exist, but they aren’t based in reality.

What is a challenge that you have overcome?