Who Me, Give Up?

My son was at a marketing convention last week.  He stood in line to have the co-writer of the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series sign a copy of the book for him.  What impressed him most was that there were 150 rejections before the book was picked up by a publisher.

I believe the book ‘The Help’ also had over 150 rejections.  Then, of course there was that little Oscar winning film ‘Good Will Hunting’ (the first we ever heard of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), that was rejected by every studio in Hollywood.

What is the point?  What is the message?  For one, if what you are doing isn’t working, instead of giving up, find another way to get the results you desire.  Don’t take ‘rejection’ personal; take it as a challenge to go back to the drawing board.  I believe that when Matt and Ben couldn’t get anyone to take them seriously, they went to family and friends to get investors.

Life is complicated and competition is fierce.  Although it seems as if some people get all the breaks and are just plain lucky, the reality is more likely then not, they kept knocking on doors, studying and learning their craft and NEVER GAVE UP.

You’ve heard about the so-called overnight success when you see a movie with what appears to be a breakout actor or actress.   However, what you later learn is they appeared in hundreds of mob scenes, had one line in ‘straight to video’ movies and many small roles in commercials or TV shows before they ever got a real break.

Many CEO’s and Vice-Presidents of companies started in the stockroom or as a receptionist.  The reality is, the more you put out there, the better your chances are of getting the job, the girl or the promotion.

As hard and frustrating as it is, try not to see ‘no’ as the end result, try to look at it as the beginning of another effort or idea.  Perhaps the one that is actually better suited for you.

Thoughts?