A few weeks ago, my husband encouraged me to put some more intentional effort on my personal brand versus always putting effort into building our company’s brand, our clients’ brands and our team’s brand.
Randomly, something popped up in my feed, and there was a book proposal boot camp from someone I really respect coming up. I did something I almost never do, and thought, “This is a sign!” and immediately began filling out the application.
I stayed up really late one night, when I have almost no free time, and filled out the application. I forgot I had even applied after that, until a girlfriend reminded me by asking me if I’d gotten in. That same day, I received my rejection letter telling me I wasn’t a fit.
For a full sixty seconds (because that’s all the time I had today), I let myself whimper. I got to thinking, how many people just try one time and then give up? They think “they don’t like my idea, this wasn’t my time, nobody is going to want to do this” and they give up. But just because one person, or one program, says you weren’t a fit for them does not mean that your message does not need to be heard.
It doesn’t have to be a book, or a formal keynote, or a blast on social media. There are so many ways to share your story that make a difference.
You have a message that people need to hear. Every single one of us have something within us that is a God-given message, we have had life experiences, we have had ups and downs, we have gone through stuff.
We have gone through stuff that other people need to hear. They need to know that they’re not the only ones feeling the way that they do, struggling with the things they’re struggling with. There are people just like them, right now, today, out there. You could be one of those people.
When you hear that one person say, “You have impacted my life. You have changed my thinking. You have changed my perspective. You have given me hope,” every bit of that effort is worth it.
Who cares if you get denied one time? You may get denied 100 times until you get that chance. Until you make the difference in one person.
Let’s be honest, you’re going to get no’s along the way. You’re going to get people who don’t like you. So what? That’s not your audience. You were not built to serve everyone, but you were built to serve someone. So don’t let a little rejection stop you, or even slow you down.
If you have something that you want to share, share it. In a book, in a keynote, on social media, in course, in a coaching program, with your friends or family or kids.
Don’t let somebody else telling you no, or making you feel unworthy or unwanted, stop you. Because there is somebody out there right now who is desperately in need of exactly the words you have to say, and you are probably one of the only people they can ever hear it from. Because they know you, they relate to you, and you are going through it too. That person is out there that needs to hear what you have to say.
One person’s no is not a no for everything. Being told no today helped me take a stance and realize if I’m not a fit for that, it’s a good thing they told me no. Now I can be intentional about who I want to work with, how I want to go through that process, and what the best resources are for me. It has to be a mutual fit. So every no should help you get to the right yes. Not just any yes, but the right yes.
