The worst part about grad school is the stress my personal relationships undergo as I attempt to give my best to my #MBA program.
People who have not gone to grad school, or attempted to go to graduate school simply have no idea what you mean when you express living on the edge of sanity…wait, let me correct that, people that have not attempted grad school while working full time at a J.O.B., raising children, keeping the house somewhat tidy, and feeding/caring for oneself, day after day after day, weekends included — they just cannot imagine. And what they cannot imagine, is hard for them to relate to… and when they can’t relate, unfortunately, the compassion/understanding meter declines precipitously.
They just do not have any frame of reference to compare it to… they think their lives are hard with just a full-time job and family. It is a GRIND. For one to two years of your life (22 months if you are in the #Shidler College of Business distance learning EMBA at #UHManoa). Your peeps may do their best to be understanding and supportive (or not), but they simply do not understand the emotional, physical and mental challenges you are facing just to stay in the program and keep up with your classes, so they tend to not give you the amount of compassion or understanding you may feel you deserve.
I am a fairly positive person, but the sheer amount of willpower it has taken to repeatedly say “No” to spending time with friends, going on outings, traveling, or simply kicking back and catching up on the latest episode of my new favorite show #Vikings — for me to score well in my classes, it can wear on even the most resilient person.
I just realized there is one huge upside to this… I have HAD to get much better at saying “No.” Not only to invitations, but also to people who want to bring drama into my life, situations that are high-maintenance or have any element of drama… wait, I just realized, that is a FANTASTIC upside.
Lesson Learned: Clear out #toxicpeople and situations from my life, quickly and decisively. It’s all about me right now, and that’s OK!
I hope you enjoyed this post about my experience #survivinggradschool, if you can relate, please like and share 🙂