I recently wrote about how fear of rejection in my tips for graphics designers starting out article on my personal blog, but it was only after reading Dr. Ivan Misner’s article on Fear of Rejection that it really started to sink in.
Dr. Misner is the founder of BNI and an prolific author. His latest book is entitled, Business Networking and Sex: Not What You Think.
In his article on Success Net Online, Dr. Misner shares his story of how scared he was of asking a local bookstore to buy his book. “I wasn’t sure that they would be willing to carry a book from an unknown author. I sat there too embarrassed to make any moves toward the entrance,” he wrote.
He rationalized to himself that there were really only two options, of which only one that would result in success. This made the decision, which just a moment prior had seemed so frightening he couldn’t force himself to get out of the car, to being the most logical decision.
Do I struggle with a fear of rejection? While it pains me to admit I’m deficient at something, asking something for someone when there is a chance they will say no is terrifying to me. But I know that tenacity is a key tenet of a successful business person and so it’s something I’m working to conquer.