Each Month, I Strive for at Least 200 Rejections

Each month, I strive to be rejected at least 200 times. When I don't receive that many rejections, I become dismayed. It's as if the world doesn't care about rejecting me.


Why 200? Because rejection is the surest sign I'm pushing the boundaries. Each "no" I receive means I asked for something. A sale. A partnership. A speaking gig. A raise. A retweet from a Nobel laureate. A bold idea pitched to someone whose assistant's assistant once emailed me back in 2019.


I track my rejections like other people track sales. I use a spreadsheet titled "Victory in Failure," and every "no" goes in a green cell. When I hit 200 rejections in a month, I give myself a high five, take a long walk, and maybe buy myself a slice of cake. Why? Because rejection is evidence of courage. It's proof that I'm risking something, that I'm not hiding.


The weird part? Chasing rejection works. Somewhere around rejection #76, someone says "yes." A big yes. A surprising yes. A yes I wouldn't have found if I hadn't been enthusiastically collecting no's.


Most people avoid rejection like it's a rash. I treat it like a resume. If I'm not being turned down regularly, I'm probably not asking for enough. I'm not swinging hard enough. I'm playing it safe, and safe doesn't scale.


So here's my advice to fellow entrepreneurs, freelancers, artists, and dreamers: Make rejection your metric. Don't just tolerate it—celebrate it. Count your no's like others count likes. Because every rejection is a breadcrumb on the path to success. And the more breadcrumbs you gather, the clearer the path becomes.


Remember: rejection isn't failure. Rejection is feedback. Rejection is redirection. Rejection is proof you showed up. And in business, showing up is half the battle.


(This writing is donated to the public domain -- and can be used for any purpose, including as a literacy reading passage in K-12 schools or in any other setting.) 



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Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
https://pairsmathgame.com
https://philshapirochatgptexplorations.blogspot.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/philshapiro.bsky.social

He/Him/His

"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
"Learning happens thru gentleness."
"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options."  David Suzuki

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