Taking action in spite of the "Fear of Rejection"

Fear of rejection is an action stopper. Many people are so afraid of being rejected that they quit taking action with their life. They quit doing everything from talking to prospects, to speaking with investors, to just speaking with someone at a cocktail party. Every time we take action by approaching another person, there’s always that fear of rejection. What if they don’t like me? What if they say no? A question as simple as, “Would you like to...?” becomes so hard to say. We know every time we speak to someone, it can result in rejection. “What if she rejects me? What if he rejects me?” Fear of rejection always tries to stop us from achieving our goals. The first action you can take to change how you feel about rejection is to stop linking your self-worth to whether or not you get accepted or rejected by others. When a person rejects you or your business, it mostly has to do with what is going on with him or her at that moment. There are many factors that go into that decision. It could be the timing is not right for them, or maybe they believe what you're offering is not the right fit. The point is, it is not always about you. Take, for example, one of the most successful books ever published, Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. The book was rejected by140 publishers before Canfield and Hansen found a publisher who agreed to publish it. We have all heard how successful their books are, but most of us have never heard about the 140 rejections. It’s important to realize that all successful people get rejected at some point, and they all have fears, and that’s okay. If you feel those feelings, it’s perfectly fine. It doesn’t make you weak, it just makes you human. The famous Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen took Action 140 times and were rejected every time. They kept taking action, though, and after 140 rejections they finally got the acceptance. As another example, let me share with you a love story about my friend Robin’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas. Mr. Thomas loves to tell this story, about how he met Mrs. Thomas. Mr. Thomas was in the service and he was away in a foreign country when one evening he went to a local restaurant with his friends and noticed a beautiful lady sitting by herself. Mr. Thomas took action and walked up to this lovely lady. “May I have this dance?” he asked, and she replied “No, thank you.” That's right, the first meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas resulted in rejection for Mr. Thomas. Two years later, Mr. Thomas and his friends went back to the same restaurant, and there she was again, as beautiful as he remembered her. Mr. Thomas went up to her again, and asked, “May I have this dance?” She looked up at him and this time said, “Yes, I would love to.” They both recognized each other from their first encounter two years earlier. At the end of that night, the lovely lady told Mr. Thomas that she had been married the last time they met, but was now divorced. Well, you guessed it, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas have been happily married for over 40 years, now, and Mr. Thomas loves to tell everyone he meets, “If I let rejection stop me, I would have missed out on the last 40 years of happiness.” Taking Action in spite of Fear of Rejection is how Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen got their book Chicken Soup for the Soul published. Taking Action in spite of Fear of Rejection is how Mr. Thomas got to dance with Mrs. Thomas. Take action to free yourself from the Fear of Rejection today. Stop giving so much credence and power to strangers who are bound to reject you from time to time. Take action to be guardian of your self-worth. Remember, even when you hear a NO, it is not always about you, so continue to take action and move on to the next opportunity.

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