Have you been rejected or disappointed time and time again?
Colonel Harland Sanders is known as the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He retired at age of 65 after working through odd jobs throughout his life. He felt like a failure and decided to commit suicide. However, instead of writing his will, he wrote what he wanted in life and decided to make it. He borrowed $87 to fry up chicken using his recipe and went door to door to sell. He knocked on 1010 doors. He got rejected 1009 times before the first yes.
“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”
Gone With the Wind was rejected by 38 publishers.
Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financed to execute his dream of creating Walt Disney World.
There’s no magic. Even Bill Gates had to knock on 1200 doors and only 11 said yes.
“There’s no secret. I worked really hard on my idea to get it as good as I could, and then knocked on door after door.
I ended up showing my idea to 1200 people.
900 said no.
300 people showed some interest.
Only 85 people actually did anything.
30 took a serious look.
And 11 made me a multi-millionaire.” – Bill Gates, 1986
Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a reporter because she was unfit for Tv.
J K Rowling was sacked as a secretary because she was a day dreamer. She was then rejected by 12 publishers after writing Harry potter. Her manuscript was later accepted by Chairman of Bloomsbury. Her novel “Harry Porter” would later make her a billionaire.
Steven Spielberg was turned down three times by the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television.
Even though he attended another school and dropped out, he earned his BA and became an influential filmmakers in the history of cinema with Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Those people were rejected and moved on. They became such successful that the world only remembered their greatness.
If you have been rejected, one thing for sure, you are on the path to greatness.
My mentor, Steve Chandler, taught a simple method to deal with rejection: if you are willing to ask 1000 people, you will get what you want. In a simpler term, keep asking until you get a YES.
Steve taught that YES actually lives in the land of NO. They live their together like light and dark. If there’s no light, there’s no dark. If there’s no dark, there’s no light. You keep getting through enough NOs and you will get YES.
Read above stories again and move on whenever you get rejected. The door to get what you want is wide open. Be it million dollars, a dream of becoming the next millionaire or billionaire.
The Samurai Coach 