Taking on Rejection. So, there I was, heart pounding, head buzzing, contemplating the possibility of vomiting. And no, it wasn’t some cringe-worthy blind date with Piers Morgan. Instead, I was gearing up to ask a stranger at King’s Cross station for a cool £100. Yeah, you read that right.
The Rejection Challenge Begins
So, why on earth would I willingly put myself through such an ordeal? Blame it on a humbling moment with my therapist who casually pointed out my frequent night terrors. It got me thinking – maybe I’m not as fearless as I thought. Enter the rejection therapy, a challenge to face rejection every day for a month.
I kicked off by asking a random middle-aged dude for a hundred quid. Smooth, right? He took a good three seconds to study my face before deciding he couldn’t say yes without knowing why. Fair enough. Success achieved – the whole point was to bask in the soul-crushing embarrassment of being turned down by a stranger.
The Why and the How
Why did I get into this mess? Well, my editor thought it would be a grand idea for me, the guy who’s scared of everyday things like failure and social humiliation. I mean, the trauma of having been a very camp child might be a factor. Anyway, rejection therapy, pioneered by Jason Comely, sounded like the perfect solution. The challenge started as a card game, daring players to face rejection daily for 30 days and build immunity against fear. Now it’s a TikTok sensation with #rejectiontherapy boasting over 98 million tags.
Soft Launch at a Birthday Party
Testing the waters, I decided to try this rejection thing at a birthday bash. Bristol soft boys seemed like a forgiving bunch. First, I asked someone if I could have her generic red lighter, and she said yes. Easy peasy! Then, I requested a DJ to play a 10-minute Taylor Swift ballad. He said no, but he was chill about it, so no major embarrassment there. Time to up the game – maybe call my GP and ask for an appointment?
The Art of Being Turned Down
You know Neil Tennant’s struggle between total embarrassment and shamelessness? I felt that. My first celebrity interview involved asking Danny Dyer about his flexibility for self-fellatio. Yeah, awkward. But around celebs, I’m unembarrassable. Everyday stuff, not so much. I’d rather make someone else order for me in a restaurant. Traumatic camp childhood, maybe? Or just me being a wimp.
