Problems & Situations

This is another post inspired by Seth Godin. He’s inspired me a lot over the years; it was his example of publishing a daily blog that encouraged me to do the same with Viva Survivors.

If you have a Problem then you can find a Solution. A Problem is a thing that can be resolved in some way. There might already be a Solution or several of them. It might be that you have to find a Solution.

However you come to it, a Problem has a Solution.

If there’s no Solution then you have a Situation: that doesn’t make it less real but rather than resolve it like a Problem you have to find a way to endure it. Otherwise you’ll just obsess and stress.

A viva-related Problem is something like your supervisor not being available to give you a mock viva. That’s a Problem: you could maybe arrange it at a different time, you could ask your second supervisor instead or you could have some other kind of practice. There are Solutions.

A viva-related Situation could be not having your first choice for your external examiner. That’s not a Problem because you can’t change it. It’s a Situation and you have to find a way to feel better about it. You could talk more with your supervisor, read up on your external examiner or maybe do some special prep – it won’t solve things but you’ll be better for your efforts.

There are lots of viva-related feelings and circumstances that give rise to Problems and Situations. Whatever the circumstances make sure you correctly identify what you’re dealing with and then work towards resolving it however you can.

Whether you have a viva-related Problem or a viva-related Situation you have work to do.