My rejection therapy has reached a 31 days, which is a full-month. I have learned more about communication and human connection in the past month than I had in my two years of business school. I have learned how to make a crazy request, stay calm and negotiate. As the result, I’m getting many yeses lately. Some of you have expressed that I am not getting rejected enough. Looking at my rejection score (58%), I agree.
While I am ecstatic about my own progress and your support, I don’t want complacency to set in. A rejection therapy is supposed to be filled with rejections, especially the ones that are well thought out and executed, but still rejected. Moreover, rejection therapy is about getting out of my comfort zone. If I am getting comfortable with acceptances, I will need to look for more rejections.
There are things I can’t control, such as my appearance/accent (for good or for bad), my communication effort (I want to apply my learnings and do my best), and people’s reaction to my request. One thing I can control, however, is the degree of craziness of my request. To take it to the next level, I want to increase the difficulty of my requests. Feel free to email me at jia at entresting.com if you have suggestions. Please remember my criteria:
1. It is crazy and difficult, but physically possible and fun. Anything involves jail, hospital/mental institution, or rewriting physics won’t work, ie. I won’t ask someone to fly off the building.
2. It is something I’m willing to do. Exchanging underwear with strangers might be fun for the viewers, but not for the people doing it.
3. It is moral/ethical. I won’t undermine my family or make any false claim during my rejection session.
Thanks again for your support. Your heartwarming emails and comments are really making my journey a memorable and worthwhile one. I hope it is to you guys too.
I wish you a Merry Christmas!
Hello there!
I am watching your videos and am subscribed since your third day or so.
Indeed, you got better at communicating with people, which gave you many failures lately.
So, I have a couple of ideas (depending on where you are now or go in the future).
I will write only 10 for now. If there are any good ones, or ones you can mix with your own ideas, please use them and good luck!
1. If you are near Hollywood, ask a guardman if you can meet *insert actor/actress name* and take a picture with him/her
2. I don’t know if this one is dangrous to ask or not in America, but go to an airport, and ask to the staff if they can show you the cockpit or the luggage room in an airplane
3. Go into town and ask random people if they want to sing a song for you (ask 5 random people, if you get 3 times a no, you win)
4. Go to a pottery and ask if they can teach you (for free) how to make a pot.
5. Go to a circuit and ask if you can drive a lap in a racecar (for free again).
6. Ask 5 random people to buy you something to eat and or to drink so you can give it to a homeless (again, if 3 say no you win).
7. Go to a casino and ask for free coins or whatever you call these plastic hings to play slots or so
8. Go to a pool and ask random people if they want to do a swimming race with you (or you can do it with running 100 meters on the street too!)
9. Go to a police station or somewhere where they draw the faces of the criminals, and ask the drawer if he / she would draw your face and give the drawing to you.
10. Go to a random lake or river, and ask a fisherman if you can have the next fish he catches (or ask him to teach you how to fish).
I hope this was helpful, and have fun ^^
Number 9 is good! “Go to a police station or somewhere where they draw the faces of the criminals, and ask the drawer if he / she would draw your face and give the drawing to you.” I would to see how that goes as this would be two tasks to complete. Asking to be drawn, then asking it to be given to you.
When it comes to a police station, I never know it’s a good idea or not. I guess I might need to try this.
I really like the number 9 idea. Give it a shot!
You give really high quality ideas. I love them! I will try to do one or two and give you a shoutout.
Thank you very much.
I’m glad I could help you! ^^
Forgot to mention it in the comment, but I really enjoy your videos A LOT!
You are also a very nice guy!
I must say I really love the fact that you can’t lie, or do really stupid things. It’s a good thing to keep it clean!
Keep up the good work
Perhaps walking into a church and asking if you could help the song leader/ praise team conduct a song during services
Better yet, giving a sermon.
Hi! I have a couple of ideas…
1. take an expired coupon to the store on purpose and convince them to take it
2. ask to get a skiing lesson for free
3. ask if you could borrow someone’s car
4. ask a stranger for their shoes
5. ask a cashier for a free drink
6. ask for a discount at the tolls
7. choose the music for a radio station
8. ask a person walking a dog if you could walk their dog for them
9. ask random people if you could borrow their cell phone ( most won’t)
That’s all for now, you make great videos!!!
some good suggestions people are giving you, i dont think it is about rejection, i think it is about you finding the possibilities in each situation and using those brain cells, you are routing neurons to find a new way of responding to any situation especially ones where people say no, i find it a great idea and love the lessons you learn, me and my friend are getting alot out it. i like to see how people respond. okay one idea is to see if you can report on a story as a reporter for the local news
Thanks for the comment, Arielle. I agree with what you said about responding to rejections. Some times you push really hard, and some times you back off, depending on the situation. As for reporting a new story, this might require some training, because if I do get a ‘yes’ (highly unlikely), I’m really not qualified for the job.
I heard this “Law” a long time ago but it still applies today, it goes,” 90% of the time you will never be fired or let go of, for what you do not know.” I have used this for getting some jobs I had not been “qualified” to fill. As you are may know or are experiencing, we limit ourselves to our own perception of ourselves, or what we think we can do. Often that perception is false, and others are not limited to seeing us as having any limitations. Love your blogs, #3 cinched me as a regular. Nice work. I know it is very time consuming to do but I love your written comments during the videos.
In New York City, there are two things people ask the most:
1) Request a cigarette (even if you don’t smoke, you can always give it back)
2) Request change (“spare” change)