What 75 Rejections Taught Me About Winning

A note to young leaders.

Last Saturday night, I got a masterclass in resilience from my niece, Katia Geha.

Katia is completing a two-year Masters Degree in Music Composition in Basel, Switzerland. To help fund her studies, she has won eight scholarships and commissions.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” I gushed.

“Ask me how many I applied for,” she replied.

“Seventy-five. I spend two hours every day researching opportunities, preparing applications, and submitting work – knowing that most of the time, all I’ll get back is a polite rejection.”

“Kate, double wow” I exclaimed. “If you can sustain that rate of effort in the face of so much rejection, your future is assured.”

The people who succeed aren’t the ones who get rejected less – they’re the ones that get rejected more.

Each “failure” builds something – muscle, resilience, character, craft.

Success is merely the visible tip of the iceberg. Ninety percent of success is rejection and failure.