100 or even 1000 NO’s Can’t be Right!

One word outliers, entrepreneurs and creative folks often hear is NO! What is challenging, at least in filmmaking, is that it may never really be just NO. It’s generally some odd combination of words that implies NO, such as ‘we are going in a different direction’ or ‘it’s just not a good fit’ and then the more direct, ‘we are working with someone we have worked with before’. Then there is the dreaded ‘ghosting’: no reply, no response, even from friends and colleagues, the most vague of all NO's. Essentially though in each of these situations the answer is NO, not you, not now.? But is it?? All perspective I reckon,?perhaps it’s a rewording, reconfiguring on your part, persistence wins the prize mantra in tact and in place, try, try again..

With these NO’s, we forge a thick skin and learn to move on, always seeking the YES! The proverbial carrot that dances before our eyes, that gives us hope at the end and beginning of each day and through lonely lunches. How could all those NO’s be right? I’d wager the average freelancer or entrepreneur hears more NO’s per year than just about any career, add to that equation, the entertainment business and Wow! It’s almost as if NO is the norm and YES is the exception. In fact, it really is, you’ll continuously hear some form of NO, way more than any YES. Applying this to entrepreneurialism and filmmaking, a solid NO is liberating. Sure we put energy and thought and commitment leading up to that NO, but that final word, ideally a YES, but also NO, releases us and gives us energy and brainstorming opportunities elsewhere. Both answers can lead to a similar result, don’t get me wrong, we all want YES’s all damn day, but sometimes we almost hope for the NO, so we can manifest the YES we need. ?

? ? ? Leading up to that YES, will take practice, focus, involvement and dedication...patience! I have often compared it to dating, where as ideally you get the right YES from the right person, causing one to reflect on all the NO’s that put you in this position to find the right YES. ?

I could share many scenarios where NO’s served me well and led to the best YES I could hope for. Perhaps this thinking delves into fate and or one’s life course, when applying the opportunity NO presents for the future. For me, fate has come to be the best way to accept the NO's, that I wasn’t offered or given the opportunity I may have wanted at some point, that this is or is not my path. I have accepted this fatalist approach and I am good with it. It is quite liberating, I do believe as humans, we often resort to blame, excuses and some sort of irrational, uncontrollable, justified, reasoning for our lot. I do believe, fate can be the difference in resiliency in the face of challenge. Call it blind faith or ignorant bliss, but and perhaps that is what feeds the entrepreneurial and creative soul.? When I think of where I am now, in life and career and consider that this is because of a lot of NO’s or REDIRECTS, I accept and continue to pivot in spite of those NO’s, GHOSTS and the REDIRECTS and seek opportunity to shine and share, ever hopeful for the ‘RIGHT’ opportunity for a YES!

?I hope you find the light in your NO’s and uncover your YES’s.