Rejection & The Voice In The Back Of Your Head
- “How am I going to fix this?”
- “I don’t know what I am doing…”
- “Is this even possible?”
- “What if they don’t like my idea?”
- “Maybe I am not the person for this?”
- “Its been done so many times, how am I going to make it better?”
Lets be honest here. We all get these voices that talk us out of things and inhibit us from moving forward. I admit that I get these voices; voices of doubt and most of all fear of rejection. We are wired to talk ourselves, which is what we call the simple concept of “thinking”. Often it is by hearing another story of rejection, or another story of failure. If you are busy listening to this voice how can you actively channel your thoughts to solve the problem?
When I was going to college, I choose a design school where I faced a new unapparent challenge. I was put in a room with hundreds of other creative individuals who had a similar thought process as I did. Eventually we were competing for the A in the class by having the most creative projects and executions. From the very beginning I started to hear that voice, and the times I felt more pressure I would hear more voices of doubt and concern.
Luckily one day as I was sitting down to work on a project I realized after three hours I had gotten nowhere. My advertising campaign had no concept and the deadline was only a couple days away. At that moment I realized, the only reason I had gone nowhere was because of the voice. That very voice slowed me down and made me feel like I was a creative hack. I mean come on, three hours and no ideas? I realized that instead of focusing my energy on what I needed to solve, I focused it on that negative voice.
The moment I started to catch myself is the day I started executing my projects more naturally. Ideas started flowing left and right. It was a matter of positive mental clarity. All it took was realizing when the voice becomes negative and hitting mute. Eventually the voice dies down, and it becomes just another sound in the crowd. The real positive voice that helps you solve problems is the one you want to listen to. It is the voice that inspires great ideas. So if you are still stuck in the same boat of problems, what are your thoughts focused more on? Solving it so you can fix it, or wondering about it so you can think about it over and over again?
Happy Thoughts
Mitesh Solanki
October 16th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Mitesh well put. My wife and I always fight about how we barely make a living, but neither one of us think about how to change it. That is the difference in attitude with successful people, and the ones like myself. Im printing this article for my wife to read. I dont know you, but to me you sound very successful. I will be back to read some more. Thank you.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
This post made me feel like there was an intervention.
Whenever I am alone I hear those voices and they are the same ones. I never thought about stopping myself and thinking to change.
Great Stuff Mitesh. Rock and Roll.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
your right, and now look what everyone is talking about. Bad economy, this and that. No one is trying to change things. Every business blames the Economy for their loss when they could think of a solution. Right on the money here…
October 18th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Mitesh, let me ask you this. I noticed that I have been talking to myself negatively, and I have always wanted to stop. But I stop myself at times, but during some situations its very difficult to not feel that way? Any advice?
October 19th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
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October 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Hi Algeony,
That is a great question. I am no expert in human behavior, but am an expert on creativity. In terms of your question the best advice I can give you is to keep in mind that the happiness you experience is based 100% on attitude. The most successful people take the worst things that happen to them and learn from it. Treat it as a blessing so to speak and keep moving forward and look back to learn not to grief.
Hope that Helps!
November 16th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
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