Cheryl’s take…
I had the pleasure of meeting Jia Jiang in person at an industry conference where he was one of the key-note speakers. What struck me most about Jia was how humble and approachable he was. During his presentation he shared many not so flattering funny personal stories that had the audience roaring with laughter. I’m sure the “I can relate” emotion was felt in more audience members than just myself.
I couldn’t help but like this guy and his message was very simple and tangible. Get over yourself! Stop the negative self-doubt and put yourself out there. Jia did this himself as part of an experiment to get over his paralyzing fear of rejection. During the course of his many trials, he made some interesting discoveries of ways a rejection can ultimately evolve into a positive experience.
His year-long experiment of seeking out rejection after rejection not only helped him get over his fear, it also put him in a position to launch a profitable business for himself by sharing his knowledge with others.
By the time I read the last page, I had already made my own bucket list of fear-busting actions I was going to take. I dare you to read this book and not come away with 1 or 2 things you commit to doing that you never thought you would.
Pete’s take…
Rejection Proof is a fun and entertaining book written by an author who was afraid to take chances and feared being turned down. Like Jia Jiang, I believe we all have a fear of rejection, just at different levels. One trait that stands out with so many highly successful people is that they are willing to take chances knowing that they may face a negative response.
The fear of rejection holds so many people back from going after their dreams. Jia Jiang came up with the idea of challenging himself to 100 days of rejection to help overcome his fear of being turned down. For 100 days he would ask a stranger for some ridiculous request that would almost always turn into a no. I found myself laughing out loud as I read the stories and at the same time saw how he learned so many valuable lessons with each rejection.
My three main takeaways:
- The more attempts you take, the better you get at asking the tough questions. You will build more confidence and learn how to ask questions in a better way.
- Have fun and be willing to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously – just do it. As you pile up more and more rejections, it’s just a matter of time before you get to a yes.
- Rejection builds mental toughness and only makes you stronger. It takes courage to achieve great things. Go out and start taking your shots!
All great lessons for sales people and business owners.
One of Jia’s rejection attempts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjMTK5J8M68
