Latest / R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why PhDs Fear Looking Stupid—And Why That’s a Problem
So many PhDs and researchers hold themselves back—not because they lack ideas, but because they’re afraid. Afraid of looking foolish. Afraid of stepping outside the norm. Afraid of being seen as the problem instead of the expert.
But here’s what I need you to understand: we all feel like that.
The only way to break free from that fear is to step up and start anyway. Not with something perfect, not with something big—but with something small. Something experimental. Something that makes you feel insecure, but also curious.
I know, because I live it. People expect me to “look the part,” to have…
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