👨👩 Tom Hiddleston and I have something in common: we had our worsts.

Before you scroll down to the next news feed post because you think this is another Ann’s Hiddleston illusion-delusion episode, hear me out. I got something here.

I watched Tom Hiddleston’s “My Worst” video, where he talked about rejections at the beginning of his acting career.

REJECTION was part of my online career beginnings, too.

I remembered opening my UpWork (ODesk before) every evening, sending gig pitches left and right. Every time I open my account, I would get rejections in different forms:

😥 Declined

😞 Hired someone else

😕 Never even bothered to check me out

I have been rejected for close to a thousand times when I was starting.

Did it hurt? Yes, much like how I found out that HiddleSwift summer fling. 💔 (Ugh, that I heart TS shirt was icing on a nightmare.) 🤣

But through the guidance of a mentor, I found a way to what Tom says “negotiate that sense of rejection without eroding your sense of self.” 🤔

I’ve come to realize that:

✔️ Rejection is part of the journey. If I don’t accept this, I wouldn’t know how success could be sweet.

✔️ Every refusal means I am getting closer to the client who will value what I could do for his business.

I sealed my faith in myself. That the rejections do not define who I am.

I continued to listen to my mentor and apply what I learned.

I continued to send gig pitches until the rejections hurt no more.

Finally, a client said, “I’m excited to work with you!” 🤘

Soon, the rejections became Invitations to Interview. Then, I saw myself closing close two to three deals in a week. 😎

Nowadays, I don’t even bother opening my UpWork account anymore.

Tom Hiddleston’s video ended my Success Squad coaching call rounds that started at 4PM today.

Never in my rejection phase did I imagine that I would get to coach people who were able to:

🤩 Double their income

🤩 Made a breakthrough by being clear on their goals

🤩 Create a habit of taking action on their career and life

My worst was worth it, after all. 😊