Jumping Through the Flaming Hoop of "No" to Find a "Yes"

Someone just told you “no” — no you can’t sell your wares here, no you can’t sing your song on this stage, no we don’t care enough about you to sign you to a deal, no we don’t to partner with you… no…

“No” is taurus-poo (i.e. BS).

If you were in tremendous physical pain and the first doctor tells you, “No, I can’t help you because X, Y , or Z,” you would search high and low until you found a doctor who could help you. You’ll sign any required form, travel three hundred miles by car, find the loophole in any insurance policy, and jump through any other flaming hoop until you get the help you need. 

Think about that relentless persistence you would employ for survival and good physical health, and put it to good use for the sake of your mental health in the healthy pursuit of a goal. Succeed or fail, there is much to gain while on the path toward a personal objective. It is not enough that you merely survive on this spinning ball, but that you run toward the things that make you physically and mentally whole. Putting yourself on the line to fail (or succeed) is scary… but think about the consequences of not pursuing your physical health while in tremendous pain… now think about the consequences of not pursuing your mental health through following your dream(s)—the danger does not appear as imminent but is something of wolf in sheep’s clothing, hiding under the guise of a long and slow death.

“No” is simply one round in the process of elimination—a lesson you learn while working to find a “yes.”