If you want to achieve something original and meaningful with your life, you MUST learn to deal with rejection and criticism.
If you're an artist of any kind your work will be rejected by editors, curators and other gatekeepers. And each time you put it in front of the public, you expose yourself to criticism.
If you're an entrepreneur you face rejection by (potential) customers, partners and investors. Those same people won't hesitate to criticize you if they are unhappy (justified or not).
If you're chasing your dream job you'll receive your share of rejection letters. And once you land the job, taking flak when things go wrong is part of the deal.
If you're an athlete or sports player it's a battle to get on the team. And you'll hear about it from all sides - your coach, your team-mates and (so-called) supporters - if they think your performance isn't up to scratch.
If you're a campaigner for change you face inertia, resistance and hostility from everyone with an investment in the status quo. No wonder most people choose not to rock the boat.
Between them, rejection and criticism can rob you of your dream.
Many people set out on their chosen path full of hope and inspiration, only to turn back because they couldn't deal with the emotional impact of crushing rejections and vicious criticism.
If you want to avoid joining the legions of also-rans, you'll need to find practical, effective ways to deal with rejection and criticism.
Anyone who says 'don't take it so personally' doesn't understand what it's like when you are hit by a major rejection or biting criticism.
At least to begin with, it's almost impossible NOT to take it personally (for very good psychological reasons). To deal with rejection and criticism, you need to acknowledge the pain - and find ways to bounce back from the impact.
In short, you need to develop resilience.
In Resilience, Mark McGuinness explains why your reactions to rejection and criticism are completely understandable - and how to deal with them effectively.
Through stories from his own experience, as well as those of famous people who faced rejection and criticism on the road to their success, he will show you that you are far from alone in suffering from rejection and criticism.
And he draws on years of experience as a coach to give you practical advice that has been road-tested with hundreds of people facing similar challenges to you.
You will learn:
- Why rejection and criticism hurt so much
- Several ways you may be making rejection worse (without realising it)
- How to keep going in spite of multiple rejections
- Why your inner critic is (potentially) your best friend
- When to ignore the critics - and when to listen
- Whether (and how) to respond to insults and abuse
- Why success is harder than it looks - and how to deal with it
This is not a theoretical book - it's packed with practical tips and techniques you can apply to your own challenges right away.
Whether you're just setting out, in the middle of your journey, or dealing with the unexpected challenges of success, Resilience will show you how to keep moving forward.
Resilience will take you a few hours to read; its lessons will help you for the rest of your life.
Mark McGuinness is a writer and coach who has been helping people overcome rejection, criticism and other obstacles to success since 1996.
Mark's blog at LateralAction.com is read by thousands of people every week, and he coaches clients all over the world via the magic of the internet.
