Dear Dr. Noelle: Those Horrible Holiday Questions

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: I’m dreading the holiday dinner table and all those questions about my dissertation. How to handle them?

      — Lost My Appetite

A: Holidays can be welcome respites from our daily routines and the seemingly relentless pressures to produce. But, like Lost Appetite, when we’re at holiday gatherings and in the throes of our dissertations, we also risk often inevitable and embarrassing questions from well-meaning relatives and friends. With all the gorging, you can be sure that at least one person will ask those questions that make you squirm, right up there with the personal in-your-face ones like “How come you’re still single?” or “When are you going to have kids?”

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How You Can Build Grit

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Recently, a member of my writing group complimented me on my dedication to my writing goals. She said, “You’re so good at staying focused on the goals you set for yourself.”

“I think it has a lot to do with grit,” I responded. Let me explain.

Angela Duckworth (2016) defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Based on her book Grit, here are some key actions to build grit:

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