Don’t Feel “Rejected” Like “Chopped” Chefs
I love watching cooking shows.
Sadly, many of the shows on the Food Network have degenerated into goofy game show contests.
One they haven’t ruined that I particularly enjoy is “Chopped.”
If you’re not familiar with it, four chefs start out with a mystery basket of several (sometimes very odd) ingredients, which they must incorporate into an appetizer, and they have 20 minutes to prepare it. Then they present their dish to a panel of judges, who then proceed to “chop” (eliminate) one contestant. This is repeated with an entrée and dessert, until there is one final champion.
What’s interesting is how some of the chefs react to being chopped. They are always interviewed afterwards. Although most handle it well, and are professional, I’ve seen some reduced to tears, using such words as “embarrassed” and “humiliated” to describe their feelings.
Clearly they felt personally rejected and insulted.
The way some of those chefs react to being chopped is similar to how some health coaches react to, and handle resistance and no’s from potential clients.
Which is unfortunate, since that often results in them being hesitant to talk to, and ultimately help more people.
Here are ways to purge that feeling of “rejection” from your life.
- Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Keep in mind that no one can reject you without your consent, either.
- Rejection is not an experience, but the way you define the experience.
- If you did everything you could have, and should have in a conversation with a prospect, what do you have to feel badly about? If there’s nothing you could have done differently, don’t sweat it.
- If there was something you could have done differently, at least you learned something from the conversation. Look at that as a success!
Look at it this way: if you do not put yourself in a position to possibly get a no from someone, you have selfishly put your fear of talking to someone above the possibility that you could change someone’s life. What is more important?
Again, success lies in how you react to negatives or failures. We can’t get rid of failures, but we can refuse to label them as personal rejections.
As Erma Bombeck said, “Tell yourself that you’re not a failure, you just failed at doing something. There’s a big difference.”
Go out there and make a difference in someone’s life today!
(If you get value from these posts, would you please spread the word to other coaching colleagues? Share the site link in the coaching groups you participate in. Thanks in advance!)
