Are You Feeling Rejected?
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
I want to talk about rejection…and more specifically…how to be just fine with it. I’m serious! I have become a big fan of Rejection. Rejection is actually very good for us. Having our plans trounced is sometimes the resistance we need…to get better…to toughen up. A tree’s root system gets stronger when the tree is subjected to high winds.” When you go to a gym and wake up sore, the soreness is good for you. It forces your muscles to rebuild… stronger.
Back in High school, when I was a 1st team all league football player, I got a scholarship to play in college. But when I got there EVERYBODY was 1st team all-league… and at first, I got beat up – One week I was voted most likely to get shaken up on the play…but I worked harder and was able to compete at a much higher level. That lesson prepared me for plenty of other kinds of rejection in my life… (5) network TV shows that were cancelled, (6) failed businesses; which only fueled my drive…to get better. There’s an old saying, “Nobody ever fails in business…some people just give up too soon.” Talk to any actor or a singer and they’ll tell you they get rejected every day…but for those who didn’t give up…they eventually found success.
Betty White’s highest earning year was when she was 93 years old. So, how do YOU handle rejection? In every industry, the cure for rejection is RESILENCE. Resilience is bouncing back after you’ve been slammed by rejection. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from the resistance you didn’t see coming. Oh, you can feel shaken up on the inside…but don’t let it show on the outside (EB) I actually used that deodorant thinking it would help…Resilience proves you have the ability to rally when life doesn’t go your way. There is an old analogy of rainwater falling on a mountain. On the down the mountain to the river, water runs into trees and boulders …and almost effortlessly travels around every obstacle…on the way down to the river…AND the water always gets there. Now, if I was a cheezy motivational speaker, I’d say BE THE WATER…but I’d rather say, don’t let rejection sabotage your goals. Retrain your mind to be resilient and show the world you want rejection to strengthen you. Prove that resistance is simply steel sharpening steel.
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Ross Shafer is the author of (9) popular business books and (14) human resource training films. In a former career Ross won (6) Television Emmy awards for his work as a TV host, writer, and producer. Today, Ross is a sought after keynote speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.