5.  Some failures are a result of something outside of your control.  Best laid plans and all that…The airport you’re supposed to be flying out of is socked in for 24 hours and you miss your son’s dance recital. Your mother falls and breaks a hip. Since you are the only child (or the only responsible child), you miss a couple of key deadlines because you need (and want) to be taking care of your mother’s matters.   You can feel like a failure – or recognize that you aren’t.  Sometimes life has a way of getting in the way of ‘success.’  Focus on the areas that are within your control.  Manage those ‘failures.’  All of these “failures” were but a comma in the flow of your life…not a period.  Pause and move on.
In your life, you have many opportunities for success and failure.  If you would like additional tips, tools, and techniques that you can use to support your successes, then access one or both of the following free resource websites:

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Articles (http://www.ArticlesbyMeggin.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!

2.  Some failures are major reliefs.  Let’s say you submitted a proposal for a large federal grant – and you weren’t awarded the grant. Outwardly, you might tell people how bummed you are. Inwardly, however, you may be thankful that you didn’t get the grant because of the enormous commitment it was going to take.  If you are already managing as much (or more) than is personally sensible and professionally responsible, then it’s a relief when certain grants aren’t funded, particular conference proposals aren’t selected, or committee assignments aren’t procured.    

I hope this gives you something to think about.  Tomorrow, another thought about ‘failure.’

If you would like additional tips, tools, and techniques that you can use to support your successes, then access one or both of the following free resource websites:

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!

1. Some failures are huge disappointments.  Generally, if your marriage “fails,” you feel some disappointment. You went into the relationship with some sense of expectation; when it doesn’t work out the way you were hoping and planning, then it’s incredibly disappointing.  Not earning tenure at your university MAY be a huge disappointment or it may be the best thing that every happened to you because you find another position at a different university – and you thrive there.   

Be sure to continue with tomorrow’s post and learn more about ways to view failure – and between now and then, you may want to access one of these tools (free): 

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Articles for Professors (http://www.ArticlesforProfessors.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!