Here’s a fact.

Rejection plays a big role in the most successful of journeys.

Here’s another fact.

There are successful people who received way more No’s than Yes’s!

Still, life goes on.

And in fact, for one particular podcast episode, I compiled some valuable lessons on rejection from Ed Mylett, Jack Canfield, and myself.

Turning No’s to Yes’s

What do Ed and Jack have in common? They’re both successful. Anything else? They both didn’t quit even after experiencing the toughest rejections!

Ed Mylett, Chairman of the World Financial Group (a large life insurance financial planning company) is worth half a billion dollars. His friends and family rejected him at some points in his life, and he has been called crazy a number of times.

Jack Canfield is one of the authors behind the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. Did you know that the first book was actually rejected by publishers more than once? Well, it was rejected 144  times to be exact! All those 144 No’s were turned into a Yes and now, the series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide.

What about me?

Well, I was a door-to-door salesman for years and I got rejections in different forms on a lot of doors that I knocked on. Up until now, I still get turned down a lot by people that I admire when I invite them to join me for one of my podcast episodes.

It’s true that getting rejected hurts–it’s discouraging! But the thing is, there are things that you can do turn all of these rejections into something that lead to your success.

So, why didn’t we quit after all of the rejections that we got?

Why weren’t we discouraged by the No’s?

Is there really a right way of overcoming rejections?

How to handle No’s (based on our experiences)

• Don’t give up when you get a resounding No the first time. Jack suggests that you ask what would have to happen for them to give you a Yes.
• It could take you more than 10 tries before you get a nod, but don’t give up. Remember that there’s always a Yes somewhere.
• Feeling hurt because of a rejection is a symptom of a disease–your lack of confidence. Grow  your self-confidence by keeping the promises that you make to yourself.
• Your reputation with other people is meaningless. What matters is your character. Don’t be arrogant! Be confident in yourself.
• Remember that life is not about overcoming things.
• Don’t make judgements based on small sample sizes. 
• You don’t need to love rejection for you to overcome it. Everyone gets rejected, and no one loves how it feels.
• There are three ways to grow your ability to handle and tolerate rejections
  • Conviction
  • Consistency
  • Confidence.

These points are discussed in the podcast and you can listen to the full episode here.

Get to know more about us and how our experiences influenced the success we are experiencing right now.

Jack, Ed, and I are hoping that you pick up a lesson or two from our own mishaps.

Also, don’t forget to watch out for the next episode of the overcoming rejection series!