How would you like to dress up in soccer gear, knock on the door of a stranger in Austin, Texas, during the Dallas Cowboys game when the Cowboys have gone into overtime with their opponent, and ask the owner of the house if you can go out in the backyard and practice your soccer skills while the homeowner takes your photograph? That’s what Jia Jiang did, and he chronicled the response in his book Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible through 100 Days of Rejection. I found this to be one of the most inspirational books that I’ve read in a while. It is hilarious, see that previous story, but it is also very motivational.
Jia kicks off his book with that wild soccer story. He then goes into detail, telling his amazing narrative. He came to the United States as an exchange student from communist China many years ago and fell in love with it. Jia earned business degrees and became a US citizen. He married a girl and aspired to become an entrepreneur by creating a successful smartphone app. Sure enough, he developed an incredible app; however, at the last minute, a potential investor rejected his proposal. Jiang became very discouraged, spiraled downward, and shut down. After a pep talk from his wife, he decided to try again. But he recognized his greatest flaw was his fear of rejection. So he submerged himself in the science of rejection and discovered something fascinating: you can train yourself to get used to rejection, just like you can get used to the smoke of cigarettes. (Not that I’m recommending that!) The point is you have to overcome pain to cultivate a habit—even if it is a good one.
Here was Jia’s plan. He would ask 100 people incredible requests guaranteed to earn a rejection. He would film the process and post it on his video blog. Now, here is where it gets interesting. On day one, Jiang asked a stranger if he could borrow $100. The man said, “No,” but he was nice about it. Jia survived the ordeal. (See it here: Day one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIeo2bZVoQ&list=PLamouX6QxWIuTHuaArIOzdorWoYaF6cU5)
On Day 2, he asked the owner of a fast-food burger restaurant for a free refill on his hamburger after he ate it. Again, Jia got rejected. Great! That was the idea. (Day two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Hridkthqw&list=PLamouX6QxWIuTHuaArIOzdorWoYaF6cU5&index=2)
Day three disrupted Jia’s plan in the most wonderful way. He went into a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in Austin, Texas during an Olympic year. He asked for the person behind the counter to make five donuts in the shape and colors of the Olympic rings. Expecting a “no,” he was stunned when the person said, “Let me give that some thought.” She began gathering information from Jia about the shape of the rings, the colors, and other essentials, then got to work. 15 minutes later, she returned with a beautiful decorative presentation of donuts shaped like the five Olympic rings. Jia was not expecting a “yes.” The Krispy Kreme refused to charge Jia. That one was on her. Jiang hugged her and later placed the video on the internet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ax2CsVbrX0&list=PLamouX6QxWIuTHuaArIOzdorWoYaF6cU5&index=3). That was when it blew up nationally. Later, Jia went on national TV and temporarily dropped his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Instead, he dedicated himself to meeting the demand for writing and speaking, inspiring people who are afraid of rejection. (Here is one example: “What I learned from 100 days of Rejection” TED talk by Jia Jiang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZXgApsPCQ)
If you’re looking for a book that’s both funny and practical, I can’t recommend Jia’s book enough. Here’s what I took away: First, some people hate getting favors because they don’t want to owe anyone—but they love doing favors for others. It makes them feel like a million bucks. Second, we’re all wired to avoid rejection. That’s normal. But if you let that instinct take over, it can hold you back from some pretty amazing things. And third, you really can get better at handling rejection. It takes practice, maybe even a little creativity, but you can do it. Why not make it fun, just like Jia did?
Mark
P.S. You want to see how it came out with the Dallas Cowboys fan in Austin? Here is the video of day six- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NArD5hWAKKg&list=PLamouX6QxWIuTHuaArIOzdorWoYaF6cU5&index=6
Dr. Mark Edge
The WorkEdge Company
Telephone: 903-245-7851
Email: workedgetexas@gmail.com
Website: www.workedgetexas.com
Author of Holy Chaos. To purchase the book, click here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mark+edge&crid=3B1BM6W3LHOG0&sprefix=%2Caps%2C137&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent
WorkEdge leverages AI as a resource. While this material was not written or generated by AI, the editing was informed by AI tools.