Dear David-from-four-years-ago,
I'm writing this from your future – a future so different from what you're imagining that you wouldn't believe me if I told you the details.
Right now, you're sitting in your office, staring at an email you're too scared to send. Your drafts folder is a graveyard of unsent possibilities. Your life is a carefully constructed safe zone.
You think you're protecting yourself. You're actually imprisoning yourself.
In a few days, you're going to have a wild idea: What if I tried to get rejected 1000 times?
You'll think it's crazy. You'll be right. Do it anyway.
Here's what you can't see from where you're sitting:
That fear of rejection you carry? It's not protecting you from pain. It's protecting you from life.
Every "no" you're avoiding contains a lesson you need. Every rejection you're sidestepping holds a redirection toward something better. Every ask you're swallowing is a piece of yourself you're denying the world.
The experiment will be hard. Harder than you imagine. You'll want to quit around rejection #400. You'll feel like a fraud, a nuisance, a failure.
Keep going.
Because here's what's waiting on the other side:
- A relationship built on truth instead of performance - A career that uses all of you, not just the safe parts - Friendships deeper than you knew possible - Family connections based on who you are, not who they need you to be - A business born from your transformation - A life lived at full volume
But more than any of that: Freedom.
Freedom from the voice that says you're not enough. Freedom from the fear that keeps you small. Freedom to ask for what you want, pursue what matters, show up as yourself.
You'll learn that rejection isn't your enemy. It's your teacher, your redirector, your growth catalyst. You'll discover that the pain of rejection lasts minutes, but the pain of not asking lasts a lifetime.
You'll understand that everyone is walking around afraid of the same thing. And when you heal your fear, you give others permission to heal theirs.
The ripples will spread further than you can imagine. Your parents will transform. Your friends will take bigger risks. Strangers will email saying your story changed their life.
All because you decided to send that email. To make that ask. To risk that rejection.
So here's my advice from your future:
Start today. Not tomorrow. Not when you feel ready. Today.
Send the email that's been sitting in your drafts.
Ask for the thing you've been wanting.
Have the conversation you've been avoiding.
Make the request that feels impossible.
Do it scared. Do it imperfectly. But do it.
Because on the other side of that fear is everything you've ever wanted.
And it all starts with being willing to hear "no."
Trust me – or rather, trust yourself. You're braver than you know. You just need 1000 opportunities to prove it.
Your future is calling. It's time to answer.
With love and gratitude for the journey you're about to begin,
David-from-the-future
P.S. That woman at the coffee shop? Talk to her. Yes, you'll spill coffee everywhere. Yes, it will be mortifying. Yes, she'll say yes anyway. Some of the best things in life come wrapped in disaster. Embrace the mess.
P.P.S. When Dad offers that road trip to Denver, say yes immediately. Don't negotiate for more. Those three days will change everything between you.
P.P.P.S. The rejection that hurts most will teach you most. Let it hurt. Then let it teach. Then let it go.
P.P.P.P.S. You're going to write a book about this. I know that sounds impossible. Everything seems impossible until you ask.
Now go. Your first rejection is waiting.
And so is your life.
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Professional Support: Sometimes rejection work brings up deeper issues. Consider working with a therapist or coach who understands exposure therapy and growth mindset work.
Final Reminder: This journey is yours to customize. Take what serves you, leave what doesn't. The only rule is to begin.
Your rejection cure awaits.
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Copyright Notice: This is a work of creative nonfiction. Names have been changed and some individuals represent composite characters. Individual results may vary. The strategies described are based on personal experience and are not guaranteed to produce specific outcomes. Please pursue your own rejection journey responsibly and with respect for others' boundaries.