It’s not that you don’t want that job because of the supervisor or the toxic employee that is there. It’s not that it doesn’t work with your schedule or you prefer your current relaxed environment. Truth be told, you would love the promotion, even the opportunity for growth, the new environment, and the excitement of it all. But one thing scares you…but what if they say no.

You were made for this! And you know it. It’s been your dream to make it to the top. Not just by talent alone but your drive. Destined. All you have to do is sign the lease for the building and put your sign up. All you have to do is go to the audition. Show up to the try outs. Send in the manuscript. Take the test. Make the phone call. Apply for the position. Sign up.

But you hesitate. You hesitate not because the shoes are too big, Cinderella. Made. For. This. But you hesitate out of fear of being told no. No, we aren’t hiring. No, you aren’t qualified. No, you are too qualified. No, you are too short. No, you are too skinny. No, you need to lose weight. No, your degree isn’t preferred. No, a better person was selected. No…no…no. You are slow to move out on your goal…your dream because you fear being rejected.

Get this. Write this down. Snap a picture. If success is what you are seeking, you must also welcome rejection. Success and rejection go hand-in-hand. You can’t have success without it. And if you run away from being rejected, chances are great you will run away from your dream.

Where do you go from here? Well start working your dream. If you need an investor or loan, just ask someone or go to the bank. First timers normally get a “no.” Know this and accept this. Welcome it and learn from it. So after they turn you down, this is the time to ask questions on things you need to work on for the next request.

No, it doesn’t feel good but it’s necessary. So, for me, last fall I applied for the current position I’m working. I’ve gone from supervising a small branch of 10-12 employees to now managing 7-9 branches each with individual supervisors totally close to 80 employees. I took on this position temporarily for 6 months knowing it had been promised to another manager that was off on a leadership developmental assignment.

I knew this yet I still went. Normally if you do a good job at this level, they hire you permanently but this wouldn’t happen for me. I went anyway. No lie, I did feel some kind of way but that lasted about a day. Had a peep talk with self. I said, “self.” Self said, “huh?” I said, “no matter what, you go and give your 200%. You’ve been wanting to expand your financial footprint. Plus, anything can happen in 6 months.”

So while working hard in this position, I applied for other jobs with the goal of not returning to my old position. Right after being offered this position, I had 2 interviews a day apart. A month or so after that, I’ve had another interview. Why interview after being offered a job, you’re wondering. Well, I’ve never interviewed at this level and the experience is what I was after. Each one was totally differently. But the most valuable part was asking for feedback after the interviews to know where I was slacking and ways to improve.

It’s all about having confidence in self and being able to communicate and sell yourself. I’ve had the privilege of knowing one of the interviewers so of course I needed to reach out for feedback. Oh boy did they give it to me. They held no punches. Ouch. But I needed to hear that. I need to improve. I need to get stronger. I needed that rejection.

So guess what. When I push this blog and push my events… As I try to communicate and sell myself (sort of like daily interviews), if someone doesn’t respond how I think they should. If they don’t like my speech or my delivery. If no one reads my blogs. No matter what, I’ve heard “no” plenty times to not take offense to it but learn from the experience and keep on trying. The other side of “no” is a “yes.”

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you for your attention. Remember you are your own competition.

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