Talking about writing his first book, Michael Hyatt relates a personal story of rejection and disappointment. A dream that began with hope, excitement, and eager anticipation gradually turned sour as publisher after publisher rejected his book proposal.
If you’ve ever set out on a journey to try something new only to find the path blocked by obstacles and opposition, you can relate to the inevitable frustration, anger and disappointment. When you keep hearing “no,” it becomes harder and harder to resist the temptation to give in and give up.
Criticism, doubt and rejection are emotionally painful, no matter who you are. When you come up against opposition and start hearing the criticism, it can be easy to start believing the naysayers. While being humble and open to feedback is important, sometimes you just have to persevere regardless of what others say.
So how do you push past the opposition and keep going? How did Michael Hyatt overcome thirty-one “no’s” from publishers before ultimately becoming a New York Times bestselling author?
Hyatt explains:
“I had to go back to why I was doing this, and what was the original vision that was sparked when I decided to write this book. Because we lose our way when we lose our why.”
Hyatt’s colleague, speaker and author Michele Cushatt explains, “We have to always be in touch with the ‘why’ of what we’re doing; if we lose that, then our dreams evaporate before they even get started. We have to know ‘why,’ and if we can keep that in front of us as we go through this process, it really helps.”
If you lose sight of your original vision – why you started down the path you’re on – disillusionment and discouragement can set in and you start to lose you way. You start believing those who say, “You can’t,” because you’ve stopped believing in it yourself.
It is crucial that you don’t lose your ‘why.’ The journey will likely be difficult, but if you keep focusing on and reminding yourself of the greater purpose, of why that destination is so important and why your passion about it led you to start on the journey in the first place, then you won’t lose your way.
Discussion: What is your ‘why’? Remind yourself, and then share in the comments below.
