“Thanks for applying, but...” Sound familiar?

Sales people get it all the time. Writers can write books on it. Job seekers get it in incremental doses—resume submission, interviews, then rejection.

As comic Janeane Garofalo once said, “Right—rejection kills. Disappointment just maims.”

Rejection stings, but it doesn’t have to define you. Instead, let it fuel your action. As personal power motivator Anthony Robbins put it, “Massive rejection is the key to success.”

Like a sturdy tree weathering the tradewinds, rejection opens the door to determination, change, and new possibilities.

“I took rejection,” said talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael, “and turned it into direction.” You can, too.

Ten BEST-SELLERS REJECTED by publishers more than 20 times.