0:00:00.760,0:00:02.376
When I was six years old,

0:00:02.400,0:00:03.640
I received my gifts.

0:00:04.320,0:00:07.776
My first grade teacher[br]had this brilliant idea.

0:00:07.800,0:00:11.136
She wanted us to experience[br]receiving gifts

0:00:11.160,0:00:15.160
but also learning the virtue[br]of complimenting each other.

0:00:15.640,0:00:18.536
So she had all of us[br]come to the front of the classroom,

0:00:18.560,0:00:21.536
and she bought all of us gifts[br]and stacked them in the corner.

0:00:21.560,0:00:22.776
And she said,

0:00:22.800,0:00:25.456
"Why don't we just stand here[br]and compliment each other?

0:00:25.480,0:00:27.056
If you hear your name called,

0:00:27.080,0:00:29.280
go and pick up your gift and sit down."

0:00:30.520,0:00:32.000
What a wonderful idea, right?

0:00:32.880,0:00:34.096
What could go wrong?

0:00:34.120,0:00:35.640
(Laughter)

0:00:36.400,0:00:38.456
Well, there were 40 of us to start with,

0:00:38.480,0:00:40.936
and every time I heard[br]someone's name called,

0:00:40.960,0:00:42.760
I would give out the heartiest cheer.

0:00:43.280,0:00:45.776
And then there were 20 people left,

0:00:45.800,0:00:47.576
and 10 people left,

0:00:47.600,0:00:48.960
and five left ...

0:00:49.560,0:00:50.936
and three left.

0:00:50.960,0:00:52.160
And I was one of them.

0:00:52.720,0:00:54.320
And the compliments stopped.

0:00:55.560,0:00:57.600
Well, at that moment, I was crying.

0:00:58.600,0:01:00.616
And the teacher was freaking out.

0:01:00.640,0:01:04.296
She was like, "Hey, would anyone[br]say anything nice about these people?"

0:01:04.319,0:01:05.536
(Laughter)

0:01:05.560,0:01:08.536
"No one? OK, why don't you[br]go get your gift and sit down.

0:01:08.560,0:01:09.816
So behave next year --

0:01:09.840,0:01:11.936
someone might say[br]something nice about you."

0:01:11.960,0:01:13.720
(Laughter)

0:01:14.520,0:01:16.136
Well, as I'm describing this you,

0:01:16.160,0:01:18.536
you probably know[br]I remember this really well.

0:01:18.560,0:01:20.160
(Laughter)

0:01:20.800,0:01:22.896
But I don't know who felt worse that day.

0:01:22.920,0:01:25.096
Was it me or the teacher?

0:01:25.120,0:01:28.256
She must have realized[br]that she turned a team-building event

0:01:28.280,0:01:31.080
into a public roast[br]for three six-year-olds.

0:01:31.800,0:01:33.056
And without the humor.

0:01:33.080,0:01:35.416
You know, when you see[br]people get roasted on TV,

0:01:35.440,0:01:36.656
it was funny.

0:01:36.680,0:01:38.538
There was nothing funny about that day.

0:01:39.320,0:01:42.336
So that was one version of me,

0:01:42.360,0:01:45.856
and I would die to avoid[br]being in that situation again --

0:01:45.880,0:01:47.760
to get rejected in public again.

0:01:48.440,0:01:49.896
That's one version.

0:01:49.920,0:01:52.376
Then fast-forward eight years.

0:01:52.400,0:01:54.376
Bill Gates came to my hometown --

0:01:54.400,0:01:55.616
Beijing, China --

0:01:55.640,0:01:56.856
to speak,

0:01:56.880,0:01:58.616
and I saw his message.

0:01:58.640,0:02:00.936
I fell in love with that guy.

0:02:00.960,0:02:03.856
I thought, wow,[br]I know what I want to do now.

0:02:03.880,0:02:06.016
That night I wrote a letter to my family

0:02:06.040,0:02:08.336
telling them: "By age 25,

0:02:08.360,0:02:10.976
I will build the biggest[br]company in the world,

0:02:11.000,0:02:12.936
and that company will buy Microsoft."

0:02:12.960,0:02:14.856
(Laughter)

0:02:14.880,0:02:17.496
I totally embraced this idea[br]of conquering the world --

0:02:17.520,0:02:18.720
domination, right?

0:02:19.160,0:02:21.976
And I didn't make this up,[br]I did write that letter.

0:02:22.000,0:02:23.336
And here it is --

0:02:23.360,0:02:25.336
(Laughter)

0:02:25.360,0:02:27.176
You don't have to read this through --

0:02:27.200,0:02:28.976
(Laughter)

0:02:29.000,0:02:32.240
This is also bad handwriting,[br]but I did highlight some key words.

0:02:33.600,0:02:34.816
You get the idea.

0:02:34.840,0:02:36.616
(Laughter)

0:02:36.640,0:02:37.840
So ...

0:02:39.280,0:02:41.296
that was another version of me:

0:02:41.320,0:02:43.000
one who will conquer the world.

0:02:43.880,0:02:45.336
Well, then two years later,

0:02:45.360,0:02:49.296
I was presented with the opportunity[br]to come to the United States.

0:02:49.320,0:02:50.896
I jumped on it,

0:02:50.920,0:02:53.136
because that was[br]where Bill Gates lived, right?

0:02:53.160,0:02:54.376
(Laughter)

0:02:54.400,0:02:57.040
I thought that was the start[br]of my entrepreneur journey.

0:02:57.680,0:02:59.856
Then, fast-forward another 14 years.

0:02:59.880,0:03:01.296
I was 30.

0:03:01.320,0:03:03.696
Nope, I didn't build that company.

0:03:03.720,0:03:05.256
I didn't even start.

0:03:05.280,0:03:09.256
I was actually a marketing manager[br]for a Fortune 500 company.

0:03:09.280,0:03:10.896
And I felt I was stuck;

0:03:10.920,0:03:12.120
I was stagnant.

0:03:13.080,0:03:14.296
Why is that?

0:03:14.320,0:03:16.560
Where is that 14-year-old[br]who wrote that letter?

0:03:17.480,0:03:18.957
It's not because he didn't try.

0:03:19.480,0:03:22.536
It's because every time I had a new idea,

0:03:22.560,0:03:24.536
every time I wanted to try something new,

0:03:24.560,0:03:25.776
even at work --

0:03:25.800,0:03:27.536
I wanted to make a proposal,

0:03:27.560,0:03:31.096
I wanted to speak up[br]in front of people in a group --

0:03:31.120,0:03:32.936
I felt there was this constant battle

0:03:32.960,0:03:35.736
between the 14-year-old[br]and the six-year-old.

0:03:35.760,0:03:37.896
One wanted to conquer the world --

0:03:37.920,0:03:39.136
make a difference --

0:03:39.160,0:03:41.280
another was afraid of rejection.

0:03:41.960,0:03:44.480
And every time that six-year-old won.

0:03:45.760,0:03:49.736
And this fear even persisted[br]after I started my own company.

0:03:49.760,0:03:52.896
I mean, I started[br]my own company when I was 30 --

0:03:52.920,0:03:54.336
if you want to be Bill Gates,

0:03:54.360,0:03:56.400
you've got to start[br]sooner or later, right?

0:03:57.080,0:03:59.616
When I was an entrepreneur,

0:03:59.640,0:04:02.536
I was presented[br]with an investment opportunity,

0:04:02.560,0:04:04.360
and then I was turned down.

0:04:05.040,0:04:06.776
And that rejection hurt me.

0:04:06.800,0:04:10.400
It hurt me so bad[br]that I wanted to quit right there.

0:04:11.280,0:04:12.496
But then I thought,

0:04:12.520,0:04:16.360
hey, would Bill Gates quit[br]after a simple investment rejection?

0:04:16.920,0:04:19.776
Would any successful[br]entrepreneur quit like that?

0:04:19.800,0:04:21.176
No way.

0:04:21.200,0:04:23.176
And this is where it clicked for me.

0:04:23.200,0:04:25.016
OK, I can build a better company.

0:04:25.040,0:04:27.256
I can build a better[br]team or better product,

0:04:27.280,0:04:28.816
but one thing for sure:

0:04:28.840,0:04:30.696
I've got to be a better leader.

0:04:30.720,0:04:32.240
I've got to be a better person.

0:04:32.720,0:04:36.096
I cannot let that six-year-old[br]keep dictating my life anymore.

0:04:36.120,0:04:38.200
I have to put him back in his place.

0:04:39.000,0:04:41.416
So this is where I went online[br]and looked for help.

0:04:41.440,0:04:42.696
Google was my friend.

0:04:42.720,0:04:43.856
(Laughter)

0:04:43.880,0:04:46.440
I searched, "How do I overcome[br]the fear of rejection?"

0:04:46.960,0:04:49.816
I came up with a bunch[br]of psychology articles

0:04:49.840,0:04:52.696
about where the fear[br]and pain are coming from.

0:04:52.720,0:04:56.016
Then I came up with a bunch[br]of "rah-rah" inspirational articles

0:04:56.040,0:04:58.421
about "Don't take it personally,[br]just overcome it."

0:04:59.200,0:05:00.856
Who doesn't know that?

0:05:00.880,0:05:02.456
(Laughter)

0:05:02.480,0:05:04.616
But why was I still so scared?

0:05:04.640,0:05:06.656
Then I found this website by luck.

0:05:06.680,0:05:09.056
It's called rejectiontherapy.com.

0:05:09.080,0:05:11.616
(Laughter)

0:05:11.640,0:05:15.576
"Rejection Therapy" was this game[br]invented by this Canadian entrepreneur.

0:05:15.600,0:05:17.296
His name is Jason Comely.

0:05:17.320,0:05:22.416
And basically the idea is for 30 days[br]you go out and look for rejection,

0:05:22.440,0:05:24.696
and every day get rejected at something,

0:05:24.720,0:05:28.240
and then by the end,[br]you desensitize yourself from the pain.

0:05:29.200,0:05:30.896
And I loved that idea.

0:05:30.920,0:05:32.456
(Laughter)

0:05:32.480,0:05:34.616
I said, "You know what?[br]I'm going to do this.

0:05:34.640,0:05:37.656
And I'll feel myself[br]getting rejected 100 days."

0:05:37.680,0:05:40.096
And I came up with my own rejection ideas,

0:05:40.120,0:05:42.600
and I made a video blog out of it.

0:05:43.600,0:05:45.536
And so here's what I did.

0:05:45.560,0:05:48.176
This is what the blog looked like.

0:05:48.200,0:05:49.400
Day One ...

0:05:50.000,0:05:51.296
(Laughter)

0:05:51.320,0:05:54.560
Borrow 100 dollars from a stranger.

0:05:55.720,0:05:58.456
So this is where I went[br]to where I was working.

0:05:58.480,0:06:00.216
I came downstairs

0:06:00.240,0:06:02.456
and I saw this big guy[br]sitting behind a desk.

0:06:02.480,0:06:04.216
He looked like a security guard.

0:06:04.240,0:06:05.776
So I just approached him.

0:06:05.800,0:06:07.536
And I was just walking

0:06:07.560,0:06:09.896
and that was the longest[br]walk of my life --

0:06:09.920,0:06:12.056
hair on the back[br]of my neck standing up,

0:06:12.080,0:06:14.536
I was sweating and my heart was pounding.

0:06:14.560,0:06:15.776
And I got there and said,

0:06:15.800,0:06:18.456
"Hey, sir, can I borrow[br]100 dollars from you?"

0:06:18.480,0:06:19.816
(Laughter)

0:06:19.840,0:06:21.640
And he looked up, he's like, "No."

0:06:22.640,0:06:23.840
"Why?"

0:06:24.200,0:06:26.496
And I just said, "No? I'm sorry."

0:06:26.520,0:06:28.235
Then I turned around,[br]and I just ran.

0:06:28.259,0:06:29.619
(Laughter)

0:06:30.960,0:06:32.696
I felt so embarrassed.

0:06:32.720,0:06:34.176
But because I filmed myself --

0:06:34.200,0:06:37.336
so that night I was watching[br]myself getting rejected,

0:06:37.360,0:06:39.456
I just saw how scared I was.

0:06:39.480,0:06:41.936
I looked like this kid[br]in "The Sixth Sense."

0:06:41.960,0:06:43.376
I saw dead people.

0:06:43.400,0:06:45.016
(Laughter)

0:06:45.040,0:06:46.576
But then I saw this guy.

0:06:46.600,0:06:48.496
You know, he wasn't that menacing.

0:06:48.520,0:06:50.896
He was a chubby, loveable guy,

0:06:50.920,0:06:54.376
and he even asked me, "Why?"

0:06:54.400,0:06:56.816
In fact, he invited me to explain myself.

0:06:56.840,0:06:58.416
And I could've said many things.

0:06:58.440,0:07:00.736
I could've explained,[br]I could've negotiated.

0:07:00.760,0:07:02.200
I didn't do any of that.

0:07:02.680,0:07:04.200
All I did was run.

0:07:05.160,0:07:08.320
I felt, wow, this is like[br]a microcosm of my life.

0:07:08.920,0:07:11.456
Every time I felt the slightest rejection,

0:07:11.480,0:07:13.616
I would just run as fast as I could.

0:07:13.640,0:07:14.896
And you know what?

0:07:14.920,0:07:16.736
The next day, no matter what happens,

0:07:16.760,0:07:18.256
I'm not going to run.

0:07:18.280,0:07:19.480
I'll stay engaged.

0:07:20.080,0:07:22.136
Day Two: Request a "burger refill."

0:07:22.160,0:07:24.136
(Laughter)

0:07:24.160,0:07:26.456
It's when I went to a burger joint,

0:07:26.480,0:07:28.976
I finished lunch,[br]and I went to the cashier and said,

0:07:29.000,0:07:30.576
"Hi, can I get a burger refill?"

0:07:30.600,0:07:32.776
(Laughter)

0:07:32.800,0:07:35.256
He was all confused,[br]like, "What's a burger refill?"

0:07:35.280,0:07:36.536
(Laughter)

0:07:36.560,0:07:40.216
I said, "Well, it's just like[br]a drink refill but with a burger."

0:07:40.240,0:07:42.736
And he said, "Sorry,[br]we don't do burger refill, man."

0:07:42.760,0:07:44.096
(Laughter)

0:07:44.120,0:07:48.176
So this is where rejection happened[br]and I could have run, but I stayed.

0:07:48.200,0:07:50.336
I said, "Well, I love your burgers,

0:07:50.360,0:07:51.776
I love your joint,

0:07:51.800,0:07:53.896
and if you guys do a burger refill,

0:07:53.920,0:07:55.256
I will love you guys more."

0:07:55.280,0:07:56.536
(Laughter)

0:07:56.560,0:07:59.176
And he said, "Well, OK,[br]I'll tell my manager about it,

0:07:59.200,0:08:02.176
and maybe we'll do it,[br]but sorry, we can't do this today."

0:08:02.200,0:08:03.616
Then I left.

0:08:03.640,0:08:05.496
And by the way,

0:08:05.520,0:08:07.776
I don't think they've[br]ever done burger refill.

0:08:07.800,0:08:09.016
(Laughter)

0:08:09.040,0:08:10.600
I think they're still there.

0:08:11.160,0:08:14.456
But the life and death feeling[br]I was feeling the first time

0:08:14.480,0:08:15.816
was no longer there,

0:08:15.840,0:08:17.576
just because I stayed engaged --

0:08:17.600,0:08:19.216
because I didn't run.

0:08:19.240,0:08:21.600
I said, "Wow, great,[br]I'm already learning things.

0:08:22.520,0:08:23.736
Great."

0:08:23.760,0:08:25.960
And then Day Three:[br]Getting Olympic Doughnuts.

0:08:26.760,0:08:29.280
This is where my life[br]was turned upside down.

0:08:30.120,0:08:31.736
I went to a Krispy Kreme.

0:08:31.760,0:08:32.976
It's a doughnut shop

0:08:33.000,0:08:35.616
in mainly the Southeastern part[br]of the United States.

0:08:35.640,0:08:37.496
I'm sure they have some here, too.

0:08:37.520,0:08:38.775
And I went in,

0:08:38.799,0:08:41.936
I said, "Can you make me doughnuts[br]that look like Olympic symbols?

0:08:41.960,0:08:44.856
Basically, you interlink[br]five doughnuts together ... "

0:08:44.880,0:08:47.120
I mean there's no way[br]they could say yes, right?

0:08:47.640,0:08:50.016
The doughnut maker took me so seriously.

0:08:50.040,0:08:51.256
(Laughter)

0:08:51.280,0:08:52.496
So she put out paper,

0:08:52.520,0:08:54.696
started jotting down[br]the colors and the rings,

0:08:54.720,0:08:56.736
and is like, "How can I make this?"

0:08:56.760,0:08:58.656
And then 15 minutes later,

0:08:58.680,0:09:02.096
she came out with a box[br]that looked like Olympic rings.

0:09:02.120,0:09:03.776
And I was so touched.

0:09:03.800,0:09:05.936
I just couldn't believe it.

0:09:05.960,0:09:09.720
And that video got[br]over five million views on Youtube.

0:09:10.440,0:09:12.536
The world couldn't believe that either.

0:09:12.560,0:09:14.080
(Laughter)

0:09:15.440,0:09:18.656
You know, because of that[br]I was in newspapers,

0:09:18.680,0:09:20.096
in talk shows, in everything.

0:09:20.120,0:09:21.616
And I became famous.

0:09:21.640,0:09:23.776
A lot of people[br]started writing emails to me

0:09:23.800,0:09:26.336
and saying, "What you're[br]doing is awesome."

0:09:26.360,0:09:29.896
But you know, fame and notoriety[br]did not do anything to me.

0:09:29.920,0:09:31.736
What I really wanted to do was learn,

0:09:31.760,0:09:32.976
and to change myself.

0:09:33.000,0:09:35.616
So I turned the rest[br]of my 100 days of rejection

0:09:35.640,0:09:37.536
into this playground --

0:09:37.560,0:09:39.696
into this research project.

0:09:39.720,0:09:41.800
I wanted to see what I could learn.

0:09:42.240,0:09:44.016
And then I learned a lot of things.

0:09:44.040,0:09:45.616
I discovered so many secrets.

0:09:45.640,0:09:48.536
For example, I found if I just don't run,

0:09:48.560,0:09:49.816
if I got rejected,

0:09:49.840,0:09:51.896
I could actually turn a "no" into a "yes,"

0:09:51.920,0:09:53.536
and the magic word is, "why."

0:09:53.560,0:09:57.656
So one day I went to a stranger's house,[br]I had this flower in my hand,

0:09:57.680,0:09:59.096
knocked on the door and said,

0:09:59.120,0:10:01.376
"Hey, can I plant this flower[br]in your backyard?"

0:10:01.400,0:10:02.936
(Laughter)

0:10:02.960,0:10:04.680
And he said, "No."

0:10:05.640,0:10:07.376
But before he could leave I said,

0:10:07.400,0:10:09.336
"Hey, can I know why?"

0:10:09.360,0:10:12.416
And he said, "Well, I have this dog

0:10:12.440,0:10:14.776
that would dig up[br]anything I put in the backyard.

0:10:14.800,0:10:16.456
I don't want to waste your flower.

0:10:16.480,0:10:19.656
If you want to do this,[br]go across the street and talk to Connie.

0:10:19.680,0:10:20.896
She loves flowers."

0:10:20.920,0:10:22.136
So that's what I did.

0:10:22.160,0:10:24.216
I went across and knocked[br]on Connie's door.

0:10:24.240,0:10:26.096
And she was so happy to see me.

0:10:26.120,0:10:27.816
(Laughter)

0:10:27.840,0:10:29.216
And then half an hour later,

0:10:29.240,0:10:31.296
there was this flower[br]in Connie's backyard.

0:10:31.320,0:10:32.736
I'm sure it looks better now.

0:10:32.760,0:10:34.056
(Laughter)

0:10:34.080,0:10:37.016
But had I left[br]after the initial rejection,

0:10:37.040,0:10:38.256
I would've thought,

0:10:38.280,0:10:40.336
well, it's because[br]the guy didn't trust me,

0:10:40.360,0:10:41.576
it's because I was crazy,

0:10:41.600,0:10:44.016
because I didn't dress up well,[br]I didn't look good.

0:10:44.040,0:10:45.256
It was none of those.

0:10:45.280,0:10:47.976
It was because what I offered[br]did not fit what he wanted.

0:10:48.000,0:10:50.256
And he trusted me enough[br]to offer me a referral,

0:10:50.280,0:10:51.936
using a sales term.

0:10:51.960,0:10:53.480
I converted a referral.

0:10:54.560,0:10:55.776
Then one day --

0:10:55.800,0:10:58.696
and I also learned that I can[br]actually say certain things

0:10:58.720,0:11:00.656
and maximize my chance to get a yes.

0:11:00.680,0:11:02.896
So for example,[br]one day I went to a Starbucks,

0:11:02.920,0:11:06.496
and asked the manager,[br]"Hey, can I be a Starbucks greeter?"

0:11:06.520,0:11:08.896
He was like, "What's a Starbucks greeter?"

0:11:08.920,0:11:11.016
I said, "Do you know[br]those Walmart greeters?

0:11:11.040,0:11:14.456
You know, those people who say[br]'hi' to you before you walk in the store,

0:11:14.480,0:11:16.696
and make sure you[br]don't steal stuff, basically?

0:11:16.720,0:11:19.856
I want to give a Walmart experience[br]to Starbucks customers."

0:11:19.880,0:11:21.336
(Laughter)

0:11:21.360,0:11:24.360
Well, I'm not sure[br]that's a good thing, actually --

0:11:25.600,0:11:28.096
Actually, I'm pretty sure[br]it's a bad thing.

0:11:28.120,0:11:30.176
And he was like, "Oh" --

0:11:30.200,0:11:32.456
yeah, this is how he looked,[br]his name is Eric --

0:11:32.480,0:11:34.056
and he was like, "I'm not sure."

0:11:34.080,0:11:36.136
This is how he was hearing me. "Not sure."

0:11:36.160,0:11:37.816
Then I ask him, "Is that weird?"

0:11:37.840,0:11:39.880
He's like, "Yeah, it's really weird, man."

0:11:40.800,0:11:43.656
But as soon as he said that,[br]his whole demeanor changed.

0:11:43.680,0:11:46.616
It's as if he's putting[br]all the doubt on the floor.

0:11:46.640,0:11:48.376
And he said, "Yeah, you can do this,

0:11:48.400,0:11:49.656
just don't get too weird."

0:11:49.680,0:11:51.096
(Laughter)

0:11:51.120,0:11:53.496
So for the next hour[br]I was the Starbucks greeter.

0:11:53.520,0:11:55.656
I said "hi" to every customer[br]that walked in,

0:11:55.680,0:11:58.056
and gave them holiday cheers.

0:11:58.080,0:12:00.736
By the way, I don't know[br]what your career trajectory is,

0:12:00.760,0:12:01.976
don't be a greeter.

0:12:02.000,0:12:03.216
(Laughter)

0:12:03.240,0:12:04.440
It was really boring.

0:12:05.200,0:12:10.136
But then I found I could do this[br]because I mentioned, "Is that weird?"

0:12:10.160,0:12:12.296
I mentioned the doubt that he was having.

0:12:12.320,0:12:15.856
And because I mentioned, "Is that weird?",[br]that means I wasn't weird.

0:12:15.880,0:12:18.416
That means I was actually[br]thinking just like him,

0:12:18.440,0:12:20.816
seeing this as a weird thing.

0:12:20.840,0:12:22.096
And again, and again,

0:12:22.120,0:12:25.256
I learned that if I mention[br]some doubt people might have

0:12:25.280,0:12:27.096
before I ask the question,

0:12:27.120,0:12:28.376
I gained their trust.

0:12:28.400,0:12:30.360
People were more likely to say yes to me.

0:12:30.800,0:12:34.136
And then I learned[br]I could fulfill my life dream ...

0:12:34.160,0:12:35.576
by asking.

0:12:35.600,0:12:38.696
You know, I came[br]from four generations of teachers,

0:12:38.720,0:12:41.536
and my grandma has always told me,

0:12:41.560,0:12:43.856
"Hey Jia, you can do anything you want,

0:12:43.880,0:12:45.936
but it'd be great[br]if you became a teacher."

0:12:45.960,0:12:47.376
(Laughter)

0:12:47.400,0:12:49.656
But I wanted to be[br]an entrepreneur, so I didn't.

0:12:49.680,0:12:53.056
But it has always been my dream[br]to actually teach something.

0:12:53.080,0:12:54.896
So I said, "What if I just ask

0:12:54.920,0:12:57.536
and teach a college class?"

0:12:57.560,0:12:59.016
I lived in Austin at the time,

0:12:59.040,0:13:01.096
so I went to University[br]of Texas at Austin

0:13:01.120,0:13:04.336
and knocked on professors' doors[br]and said, "Can I teach your class?"

0:13:04.360,0:13:06.856
I didn't get anywhere[br]the first couple of times.

0:13:06.880,0:13:09.376
But because I didn't run --[br]I kept doing it --

0:13:09.400,0:13:12.736
and on the third try[br]the professor was very impressed.

0:13:12.760,0:13:14.816
He was like, "No one[br]has done this before."

0:13:14.840,0:13:18.856
And I came in prepared[br]with powerpoints and my lesson.

0:13:18.880,0:13:20.936
He said, "Wow, I can use this.

0:13:20.960,0:13:24.296
Why don't you come back in two months?[br]I'll fit you in my curriculum."

0:13:24.320,0:13:26.416
And two months later[br]I was teaching a class.

0:13:26.440,0:13:29.696
This is me -- you probably can't see,[br]this is a bad picture.

0:13:29.720,0:13:32.496
You know, sometimes you get[br]rejected by lighting, you know?

0:13:32.520,0:13:33.720
(Laughter)

0:13:34.680,0:13:35.896
But wow --

0:13:35.920,0:13:38.656
when I finished teaching that class,[br]I walked out crying,

0:13:38.680,0:13:40.456
because I thought

0:13:40.480,0:13:43.776
I could fulfill my life dream[br]just by simply asking.

0:13:43.800,0:13:46.456
I used to think I have to accomplish[br]all these things --

0:13:46.480,0:13:50.096
have to be a great entrepreneur,[br]or get a PhD to teach --

0:13:50.120,0:13:51.656
but no, I just asked,

0:13:51.680,0:13:52.880
and I could teach.

0:13:53.400,0:13:55.776
And in that picture,[br]which you can't see,

0:13:55.800,0:13:59.096
I quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.

0:13:59.120,0:14:03.656
Why? Because in my research I found[br]that people who really change the world,

0:14:03.680,0:14:06.616
who change the way we live[br]and the way we think,

0:14:06.640,0:14:10.736
are the people who were met[br]with initial and often violent rejections.

0:14:10.760,0:14:12.816
People like Martin Luther King, Jr.,

0:14:12.840,0:14:14.896
like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,

0:14:14.920,0:14:16.456
or even Jesus Christ.

0:14:16.480,0:14:19.856
These people did not[br]let rejection define them.

0:14:19.880,0:14:24.040
They let their own reaction[br]after rejection define themselves.

0:14:24.920,0:14:26.480
And they embraced rejection.

0:14:27.360,0:14:30.576
And we don't have to be those people[br]to learn about rejection,

0:14:30.600,0:14:31.856
and in my case,

0:14:31.880,0:14:33.896
rejection was my curse,

0:14:33.920,0:14:35.176
was my boogeyman.

0:14:35.200,0:14:39.376
It has bothered me my whole life[br]because I was running away from it.

0:14:39.400,0:14:41.120
Then I started embracing it.

0:14:41.800,0:14:44.520
I turned that into[br]the biggest gift in my life.

0:14:45.320,0:14:49.776
I started teaching people[br]how to turn rejections into opportunities.

0:14:49.800,0:14:51.816
I use my blog, I use my talk,

0:14:51.840,0:14:53.736
I use the book I just published,

0:14:53.760,0:14:58.320
and I'm even building technology to help[br]people overcome their fear of rejection.

0:15:00.200,0:15:01.936
When you get rejected in life,

0:15:01.960,0:15:04.176
when you are facing the next obstacle

0:15:04.200,0:15:06.216
or next failure,

0:15:06.240,0:15:08.056
consider the possibilities.

0:15:08.080,0:15:09.296
Don't run.

0:15:09.320,0:15:10.536
If you just embrace them,

0:15:10.560,0:15:12.640
they might become your gifts as well.

0:15:13.160,0:15:14.376
Thank you.

0:15:14.400,0:15:18.744
(Applause)