I hate hearing “No”. I absolutely hate it. It scares me, it embarrasses me, and I’m pretty sure I avoid it at every stinking opportunity.
I’d imagine, if you are like a lot of other American women, you don’t particularly like hearing “No” either. Maybe you’re scared of that very tiny word, too? Maybe you don’t like stirring the waters, rocking the boat, making a scene, or starting anything. But, BUT, this can’t be. Not if you’re going to live a life of passion! I can’t anymore run from the word “No” and expect a passionate and amazing life than you could remain illiterate and plan to read each and every classic.
I plan to hear “No” 100 times in the near future. (Go to Life as an Artistprenuer for the backstory and a really pretty FREE download to keep track of those “No’s”). If I can achieve this task by December 31, 2012, I’m going to buy myself this nice little present. I figure that by the time I’ve heard “No” 100x in a year, I’ll no longer be afraid of that answer. I’ll look down and remember that “No” isn’t that bad, and really if you ask the right question–you’ll get “Yes” more than you’ll get “No”.
I’ve been at this for the whole month of January, and I haven’t even gotten 5 full “No’s” yet. But, I have gotten a lot more opportunities than I would had I not asked. Not many people value a timid and polite woman. You can be bold and respectful, and I bet you’ll start seeing some amazing things happen. And, if you do hear “No”, I can also promise that it’s not as bad as you’d think.
If you’re working towards a “No” goal, you start thinking of questions that will likely garner a “No”. (Because people are going to keep saying “Yes”!!). Those are the big, scary, important, exciting questions. The ones that feel weighty. Those are the ones that will likely bear good and exciting fruit. Ask those questions. Get comfortable asking big, scary, important, and exciting questions. If you do it enough big, scary, important, and exciting things are bound to happen.
By the time my Year of 100 Golden “No’s” is over, I’m sure I’ll be able to say I’ve conquered my fear of hearing that one little word. I’ll be able to look down at my hand and know that I’ve heard “No” before and I survived.
I have to conquer this fear of “No”. It is certainly no way to live life, and it makes for a terrible story…don’t you think?
What is the scariest question you’ve ever asked? Did you hear “No”? What was the hardest “No” you’ve heard? What did you take away from that?