Beyond the Comfort Zone

Hi,

It is past midnight, and here I am, completely wide awake. Sleep has officially ghosted me tonight. Instead of staring at the ceiling, I decided to ride my midnight energy and actually got some work done. The coursework for my Introduction to Modelling course is officially finalized, and I’ve just finished reviewing a thesis scheduled for a viva this coming Monday. Relieved. 😊

So, why am I still awake? Well, it’s a classic case of daytime choices meeting night time consequences. Earlier today, I was battling a stubborn headache and desperately needed a short nap. But the kids had other plans, they wanted to go rollerblading at the park. So, I bargained with myself: Let's do an outdoor run instead. I was hoping the fresh air would cure the headache, while secretly checking off my daily goal of 10,000 steps and 30 minutes of exercise. It worked a little too well, and now my body thinks it's midday! 😂

My dynamic duo, through thick and thin.

Looking back, this week has been incredibly surreal. I was hit with one piece of good work-related news after another. The kind of milestones that probably deserve their own separate post. But reflecting on it all tonight made me realize something I wanted to share. You will never truly know your full potential until you decide to push past your comfort zone.

For nearly a decade, from 2015 to 2024, I was working very comfortably in my position. In my mind, I was doing great, especially when I compared myself to standard benchmarks. But then I had a moment of hard truth. I realized I hadn't really evolved. I was teaching the same courses year after year, publishing mostly locally, and staying exactly where I was. I was reminded of what being a true academic really means, and it hit me that I was still so far from that standard, despite being so proud of the title.

So, I decided to change.

I shifted my focus and began working much more closely with my PhD students. Their success and graduation became my absolute priority. I set a big, scary target. Every single one of my PhD students would graduate with at least two Q1 journal publications. Nothing less. But I couldn't just leave them to figure it out alone. I had to roll up my sleeves and dive deep into the research with them to ensure we were producing top-tier work.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. Our very first paper went through a brutal cycle of eight rejections at the revision stage. (Yes, eight!) But instead of giving up, we chose to look at rejections as free, expert masterclasses. We used every single reviewer's critique to polish, rewrite, and perfect the manuscript. After a year of being perfectly "cooked," that paper was finally accepted into a fantastic journal.

Today, we use that exact same formula learned from our failures. Because we didn't back down, my students and I have now published at least five papers in Q1 journals, and we are just getting started. If there is one thing I’ve learned from this journey, it’s that great things happen when you refuse to stay comfortable. This doesn't just apply to academia, it applies to every part of life.

I hope this sparks a little reminder for anyone reading this. Don't settle for being comfortable. Challenge yourself, embrace the rejections as lessons, and keep pushing. You might just surprise yourself with what you are truly capable of achieving.

That’s all for my late-night brain dump. Time to try and finally catch some sleep. See you again soon! Goodnight! 💕