You will fail your way to success. There is no other way.
I was an ophthalmology resident in a clinic with a ridiculously toxic work environment. Every day, I wanted to hang my medical coat, and set the place ablaze! The superiors were shouting at us, we were buried in work, and there was no space to breathe by taking a day off.
A superior ophthalmology clinic was situated in the same hospital. I craved like an addict to get transferred there! The thought of asking to get reallocated kept me awake at night. I had to give it a shot!
The first time, they told me:
"It is impossible."
It took me three months to shake it off, reconnect with the fire in my belly, and try again.
They told me no.
Now, the recovery time was shorter - two months. I tried once again.
“No.”
Ouch! But, how peculiar, I could still feel my pulse. I survived! My courage muscle was experiencing hypertrophy - I was pumped! I decided to give it one more shot.
"No one has done it before”, they reiterated.
What they didn't mention though, is how many times other people kept on knockin’ on their door, after receiving a no.
All it took, was a fifth - the “No”, turned into a “Yes”! Hooray!
One week later, I found myself in the new clinic! It was dream-like! My superiors put their arms around me. I had caring, warm colleagues, and better education with weekly lectures. Life flowed with more ease and joy.
Had I not persisted through rejection, I would have never succeeded in getting what I wanted. The key to success was my willingness to fail and hear the word “no”.
That got me thinking: What if, in order to grow stronger, we were to actively seek out rejection and failure, like predators hunting prey? Rejection as prey! How empowering is that?!
What would be the best tools for that purpose? Certainly not beartraps, but 1"No-Goals"! We shift the focus from achieving a certain number of yeses and set out to “trap” a specific number of noes.
What would that look like in real life?
Let's say your goal was to make five sales a day. By transforming it to a “No-goal”, to hear ten noes from potential customers, not only will rejection feel more comfortable, but you will improve your sales technique and increase the chances of eventually getting a yes!
Or, what about getting ten noes, when applying for a specific number of jobs?
Even if you get turned down, you will get better at job searching, and increase the likelihood of eventually finding the right job that suits your skills and abilities.
All you’ll ever want is a finite number of noes away from you. More than you’d prefer, and less than you fear. For me, it took four. I found “yes”, by visiting the land of “no.”
What if a similar journey, could turn the tables for you as well?
A “No-goal” is your golden ticket.
Are you ready to fly?
“Go for No” book, by Andrea Waltz, and Richard Fenton
"All you’ll ever want is a finite number of noes away from you." Dynamite.