Bracing myself for rejection

hey coaches! I’m working on my masters thesis right now and I’m trying to gain access to a community from which I can recruit participants. I’ve received two community “no’s” so far, out of four asks, and I’m waiting on two other responses. I find myself oscillating between hopefulness and also a pragmatic pessimism. A pal who practices thought work asked me how many no’s I’m willing to receive before I give up, and I said ten. But the idea of actually receiving ten no’s is heartbreaking (T: “I am not going to accomplish my goal”) and so I notice myself holding back from taking new action. I can see that this action is holding me back from accomplishing my goal too.

Some thoughts I’m trying on:
— “this [rejection] might not cause me to miss my goal”
— “this might not be a problem”
— “I can probably find a solution”
— “this is part of the experience of doing research”
— “this doesn’t have to mean anything about me”
— “it is possible another option exists”

Answer:

These look like great options to try on! What changes do you notice in your body when you bring one of these thoughts to the forefront of your mind? What emotion/s do you experience? What actionable possibilities open up for you from this place?
Do you think it’s possible for you to operate from this space? Why or why not?

Come back to us when you’re ready for next steps. I hope you’re celebrating the fact that you know you can try these thoughts on! That’s a bigger deal than you might think!