Have you failed lately? It’s hard to imagine anyone reading this who hasn’t failed in a big or small way in the last few days.

So, think of a current failure. If you are like me, you do not have to think too long about this. You may have felt failure as a parent, as a spouse or partner, as a child, as a boss, as a neighbor, as a human… I know I have quite a few failures that I can refer to – just from recent days and weeks.

So, get one of these failures in mind. Got it? Now, what are you most grateful for about that failure?

Really…answer that and stop reading for a few minutes to to give yourself time to consider this. What are you thankful for about your failure? You might just think about it, write it down, or say it out loud.

Depending on what it is you have identified as your failure, there are a multitude of possibilities for which you could be thankful. I can’t even list them all because I can’t even think of all the possible failures you’ve had. A few possibilities though, are that, because you “failed,”

• A relationship was ultimately strengthened

• You got a job you like better than the one you had

• You learned to measure your words before letting them come spilling out – and this helped you in a situation where the consequences of letting them spill out would have been significant

• You had a discussion with someone about your failure and found some solutions or possible help

• You met someone after you hit her car at the grocery store (with your car)

• You got feedback on a presentation you did that you will use when creating an upcoming presentation (that is of even more importance than the one you ‘messed up on’)

• And the list goes on and on….

As Michel de Montaigne said, “There are defeats more triumphant than victories.” You may not have had one of these triumphant defeats or failures in the last few days – or maybe you have. I will bet you can think of one of them from this recent year, however.

Ponder – and be thankful for – those defeats, i.e., those failures. Begin to announce mentally and verbally your thankfulness for failure. It is very attractive.

Let me say again, be grateful for your failures. With each failure, say a word of thanks. As Meister Eckhard said,

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

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!