The Art of No

No. This isn't a New York Times Bestseller... yet, nor is it the title of the next James Bond movie. However, it is something that is equally notable. A lost art form that needs mastering

You may be wondering what does this have to do with sports, marketing, or even both. Great question, I'm trying to figure that out as I type. But what I do know is receiving no is something that is present in every aspect of life, we grew up with it. 

As a child, you ask your mother for a chocolate bar at the grocery store checkout, she replies with an emphatic "NO."; you proceed to take the bar and bite into it. She turns you in to the cashier, so you deal with the consequences and never repeat that act again, lesson learned. Now you know if she says no chocolate bar, that means no chocolate bar. But continue to ask cause eventually she's going to let you get an Aero bar.

As a high schooler, you raise your hand to answer the teacher's question they reply with a judgmental "NO." This one stings. It comes from another authority figure and it is in-front of your peers. You tell yourself you're never going to do that again but as you mature, throughout your academic career, you understand the effort was worth it and others were thinking the same thing.

Finally, as a young professional, you apply to numerous jobs, in fields that strike your interest. Sports team? Consulting firm? European tech company? Their answers? No. No. and No. What do you do? You keep applying because, heck, this is a numbers game and eventually someone will see the value that you bring and they will say yes!

And, there it is.

It's a numbers game and you're learning that with each no you're getting closer to that yes. Eventually your mother said yes to a chocolate bar, you received the correct answer and you were offered the job. Now you're ready to take on the world because you learned the worst thing that happened in any of these scenarios was receiving a two-letter word with its buddy, rejection, who isn't that nice. 

Did it feel great? No.

Did you immediately want to do it again? Probably not.

Did it make the yes feel that much better? Absolutely.

Which brings me to my point, the two buddies: no and rejection, hit a lot harder at the beginning. With every no, you get up and get ready to take another one on the chin, and that's something we need to look forward to. There are too many occasions when I speak with athletes, or even my own internal dialogue  where we "protect" ourselves from being confronted by the two buddies. But you never know. A no could lead to them connecting you to a yes or it teaches you what more you need to achieve to get your yes.

The right brand will sponsor your video game stream.

The right teammate will start a brand with you.

The right company will sign you to a boot deal.

And, in my case the right athlete will work with us. 

You just need to give them the opportunity to say: yes or no.

Photo Credit One: http://riotheatre.ca/movie/dr-no/

Photo Credit Two: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/107593878572232419/