Fear of failure. Almost everyone has it to some degree. Or it’s close cousin, fear of rejection.
Why haven’t you started your own business just yet? Why don’t you like giving a speech? Why didn’t you put your name in the running for that big job?
And me? Why haven’t I ever in my life walked up to a stranger in a bar (or at a party or anywhere else) and started a conversation? (“I’m a Taurus, what’s your sign?”)
Fear. Of. Failure. Fear. Of. Rejection.
One guy, Jia Jiang, decided to overcome his fear of rejection by making at least one crazy request of a stranger each day. Thus, intentionally getting rejected 100 times in 100 days. Brilliant!
Jia’s many rejections include:
- He was refused a “burger refill”
- Dominos wouldn’t let him deliver a pizza
- Costco wouldn’t let him make an announcement over their intercom
- The #1 guy in line at Best Buy on Black Friday wouldn’t let him cut in front
- FedEx wouldn’t take his package addressed to “Santa Claus”
Jia is still in the middle of his experiment, but not only has he learned to deal with rejection, he’s stumbled into new and fun experiences just by asking:
- He played soccer in a stranger’s backyard
- He sat in a cop car
- He got pharmacy employees to record his Gangman dance on the security camera
- A Walmart employee received his hug
- A bank employee helped him make paper airplanes out of $100 bills
You can see what Jia has been up to recently on 100 Days of Rejection Therapy Project visit his website, entresting.com.
He now says, “I no longer see rejection as something negative. Rather, I see it as a way to improve, understand and collaborate.”
So let’s take Jia’s advice and go get rejected today!
Ahem, “Hey, how you doing? I’m a Taurus what’s your sign?”
