Book Review: Rejection Proof

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? 

Wouldn't that be a good way to live your life???

Jia Jiang's new book Rejection Proof is all about his 100-day journey toward living a life without fear of rejection. He documented the experiment on his website, which I wasn't familiar with until after I read the book. Each request is documented with a blog post and short video.

Many of the requests--like asking for a burger refill--are silly and Jiang doesn't expect to get a positive response. For him, the fear-busting is in the asking. It's part of rejection therapy.

Over the course of the 100 day experiment Jiang, an entrepreneur who has an MBA from Duke, learned a great deal about how to ask for what he wants in order to get a yes response. He shares those tips in the book, along with examples of others who have overcome fear, failure, and rejection to become great. 

The topic of rejection is so much more personal than failure (a point that Jiang makes in the book). And so initially I found myself resisting this book in the same way that I at first resisted Brene Brown's books about shame. Ultimately, both rejection and shame are just a part of the human condition. Like Brene Brown, Jiang's book makes the point that we can transcend the negative aspects of these hurtful experiences.

Overall, I found this book to be engaging and informative. I learned a lot about how to be more persuasive in order to get to yes. I'm thrilled that really smart people like Gretchen Rubin with the Happiness Project and now Jiang with his 100-days of rejection are sharing their experiences to help others become their best selves.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions are my own.