Expert tips on how to navigate rejection to achieve your goals

In less than three weeks since its release Squid Game a Netflix show from South Korea has reached its present 1 position on the streaming platform in over 90 countries Given its unprecedented popularity it seems incredulous that its director Hwang Donghyuk had to hold on to the script for over 10 years as it was rejected by several studios In recent interviews he has also shared about having to stop writing the script and sell his 675 laptop due to financial constraints But Hwang Donghyukrsquos struggles are echoed by many who undertake creative or offbeat pursuits Leadership mentor and ex Csuite executive Rishi Piparaiya says ldquoIrrespective of whether yoursquore in a creative field or are building an innovative startup itrsquos common to have your ideas rejected Those who succeed often do so not because they have better ideas but as they are more resilientrdquoHwang Donghyukgtgt The full picture ldquoItrsquos unfortunate that our society blows success stories out of proportion Even socalled failures are often humblebrags about how the individual has gone on to later achieve impressive successes To those looking from the outside you may never know the true struggles of those that have failed and may get carried away thinking that such meteoric successes are the norm instead of the exception they truly arerdquo explains business coachBrajesh Bajpaigtgt Resilience versus persistence Persistence is more about your ego as an individual and not taking no for an answer while resilience is how you recover from failure mdash itrsquos knowing that things might not work out and that you might fail but focusing on how you come through This involves asking for help or even building a team that leads you to success says Bajpai In doing so you develop expertise and build a network that can breednew opportunitiesgtgt Not personal Success coach Anand Chulani points out that the reason why many people are so affected by rejection is because they consider it an extension of themselves ldquoItrsquos important to focus not on a goal but a vision and recognise that that vision may be bigger than you I realised this while working on a sitcom in the US Sitting in a room with 12 other writers we all had to pitch our ideas For the first two weeks no one responded to any of my ideas But then I saw the others picking up on certain aspects of my ideas and adding to them and together we created something betterrdquo he explainsBrajesh Bajpai Anand Chulani and Rishi Piparaiyagtgt Ask for feedback Just because your idea is rejected doesnrsquot mean that all hope is lost Piparaiya and Chulani emphasise ldquoA mistake most people make is walking away at the first no instead of asking what they can do betterrdquo Piparaiya adds ldquoModern society loves the idea of a solitary hero We look at Steve Jobs or Elon Musk as champions not realising that they have succeeded only because they built a strong team around them supporting their vision If your idea isnrsquot accepted the way you present it it doesnrsquot mean you have to walk away emptyhanded Enlisting the support of others who can add to your vision is keyrdquo says Bajpaigtgt Be agile ldquoToday it is much easier to go to market with a prototype or even a concept instead of waiting for a perfect product The cost of building these prototypes and reaching audiences has gone down Wersquore facing a true innovatorsrsquo market that rewards flexibility and adaptability over rigidityrdquo Bajpai points out If your goal seems unattainable at first it might help to take the lsquoscenic routersquo adds Piparaiya ldquoI went to business school in my 20s with no work experience and found myself competing for the same jobs that older peers were We all wanted to break into Wall Street but the recruiters favoured my experienced peers over me My objective was to work in a bank but the reason for rejection was beyond my control So I did some research and took the job that no one wanted Once I had my foot in the door I could figure out how to get into the department that I actually wanted to work inrdquo