“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
~Samuel Beckett
That’s the number of rejections that Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, faced before his first book was published.
He was on the way to burn it when he met an old friend who was recently made editor of a publishing house. And that friend published his first book.
How many times did you try before shelving your project? Or giving up on your idea? Or saying “I’m not cut out for this” to something you actually liked?
If Dr. Seuss had given up on his second or third try…
He would have died running a dry-cleaning business.
He would not have sold 600 million copies of his books in 20 languages!
The world would have been deprived of his iconic rhymes.
So if you’re thinking of giving up on your dreams or goals or have given up, you need to stay the course a little longer.
👉 The more attempts you make, the higher your chances of success.
It’s a simple numbers game. If Dr. Seuss had given up after the 10th, 15th, or even 26th rejection, we would never have known his brilliance.
👉 Imagine yourself in the future.
Which decision would you regret more – giving it one more try or moving on after you faced a few rejections & hurdles?
But I’m not asking you to bang your head against the same wall.
You think Dr. Seuss sent out the same manuscript every single time? I bet he made tweaks.
👉 If something isn’t working, learn from feedback, refine your approach and try again.
👉 Think about your ‘Why.’ What’s the underlying reason you began this journey/project in the first place? Can you reconnect with that?
Own your journey. Dig deep, confront those rejections, and chase till that 28th shot.