Today I received a text message from my sister, Melissa, that she had just sent her manuscript to an agent and to wish her luck! Of course I wished her luck, but I also said no matter what to keep on keeping on. Why did I say this?

Everyone has a dream. Some people act on that dream. Melissa is the ‘some’ and I am very proud. She has thrown herself out there to be rejected or accepted. Most are afraid of the rejection they may encounter so they never act on their dreams. The first thing to remember is that if you never act, you’ll never see the results you want or achieve your goals. You’ll never have that sweet sense of fulfillment that makes you feel truly alive and connected.

The second thing is not to be attached to the outcome. The journey is super fun and if you focus on that, then you can learn from your rejection. Who knows why people (agents, potential clients, casting directors, people in a position to hire you) reject other people. It might be a silly reason, (once I got that my voice was ‘too high’, another time that I was ‘too graceful’, and another time ‘too old’-I was 19 at the time) so then you just dump that. Or the truth might be that you need to work on something in order to improve your skill. In that case, put your ego aside, take your constructive criticism, do the work, and improve your craft.

Here’s a sad fact- most people quit after just one rejection. They think they’re not meant to do this after all, or judge themselves as unworthy and just cut their dream off right there and settle for whatever mundane life falls into their lap. That is why I told Melissa, before she is rejected or accepted, to keep on keeping on no matter what.

And that is what I tell myself day after day as well. Keep on keeping on. Remember that there is always more to learn. Find out what it is and learn it. Take your constructive criticism and learn from it. Dump the silly stuff that might hurt your feelings, but in the long run doesn’t matter.

There are a ton of stories of people who kept on keeping on…

Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he “lacked imagination and had no original ideas”

Albert Einstein wasn’t able to speak until he was almost 4 years old and his teachers said he would “never amount to much”

Stephen King received 30 rejections on his manuscript and threw it in the trash. Luckily his wife fished it out again and encouraged him to resubmit it. The book was Carrie

These are a few who persevered. Here are a few more success stories http://www.onlinecollege.org/2010/02/16/50-famously-successful-people-who-failed-at-first/

Read these when you feel like giving up on your dream. Read them over and over. Keep on keeping on.

Your Fitness Coach,

Miranda Zukowski

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