Most of us are adverse to rejection — we want people to like us and to be accepted. Fear of rejection could be a big barrier, however. To get over it, reconsider what you think “rejection” really means.
Photo remixed from an original by Gregg O’Connell
That’s the advice from Marc Chernoff of Mar & Angel Hack Life, who struggled with this fear himself. He says getting rejected might say more about the other person than about you:
If a person discovers a 200-carat white diamond in the earth but, due to ignorance, believes it to be worthless, and thus tosses it aside, does this tell us more about the diamond or the person? Along the same lines, when one person rejects another, it reveals a lot more about the “rejecter” than the “rejected.” All you are really seeing is the, often shortsighted, opinion of one person. Consider the following…
If J.K. Rowling stopped after being rejected by multiple publishers for years, there would be no Harry Potter. If Howard Schultz gave up after being turned down by banks 200+ times, there would be no Starbucks. If Walt Disney quit too soon after his theme park concept was trashed by 300+ investors, there would be no Disney World.
One thing is for sure: If you give too much power to the opinions of others, you will become their prisoner.
If you stop caring about what others think, you don’t have to sacrifice who you are or want to be. You can’t control others’ opinions, but you can try to keep your own fear of those opinions at bay.
7 Smart Ways to Stop Fearing Rejection [Marc & Angel Hack Life]
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