30 Day Rejection Challenge - the Change of our lives

Authors: Crispin & Tim, podcaster (Germany)

Chrispin and Tim in New Zealand

Tim and I reached out to Jia a few weeks ago because we wanted to express our immense gratitude for his influence on our lives.

Our story starts around noon, November 13, 2018… …

I, Crispin, am currently traveling through New Zealand. I am 18 years old, just graduated high school and ready to take my life into my own hands. Right on my second day after arrival I had met Tim, another young guy from Germany who traveled to New Zealand for the same reason. On that Tuesday, November 13, 2018, I show Tim the youtube video of Jia Jiang’s Tedx talk ‘What I learned from 100 days of rejection.’ We both watch it in awe, thinking: “Wow. This sounds crazy.” On the same note we are also deeply inspired.

We look at each other - knowing we are both thinking the same thing.

Let’s do this, we said.

The first challenge: Borrow 100 bucks from a stranger.

Easy.

Not so easy. After figuring out who is gonna start we find ourselves trying to approach the first person. Nearly impossible. For some reason the simple act of stopping a person and casually asking them to lend us 100 bucks turns out to be one of the most uncomfortable things we have ever done. We see a person, start to walk in their direction and … turn around. This seems to be so hard for some reason! But we start out again. And again. And again. And then, almost 30 minutes later, I find myself simply opening up my mouth. I hear the words “Excuse me, can I borrow 100 bucks from you?” coming out of my mouth.

It was this moment that I felt the biggest relief of my life. It was also this moment that made me realize once again why we were doing what we set out to do. Both Tim and I came to New Zealand after high school for a reason. We wanted to develop ourselves. We wanted to come back home as the person we dreamed of being. And it was that moment I knew that my life would never be the same again.

This day was the start of the journey in which Tim and I broke free from the limitations we had set ourselves growing up. On the same afternoon, we set ourselves the audacious goal of doing one rejection challenge a day for 30 consecutive days. And our journey kept going ever after.

Now, two and a half years later I can say that - oh man - change is possible.

It is the confidence I have now, it is my girlfriend, my Podcast ‘With the Right People’ and the life I live now that keep reminding me of this life-changing experience back in New Zealand. And since Tim is one of my best friends ever since, I can assure that it’s the same for him.

Tim and I keep Jia’s Tedx talk and the message it entails among the top influences of our lives.

Keep going on your mission!