I was listening to this podcast yesterday and Sheri Salata was a guest speaker. She was Oprah’s executive producer for 20 years. She talked about how she had received a “beautiful no” and how it led to her working on the Oprah show. Basically, she was up for this glamourous ad job but got a letter stating they were not going to hire her. Then a couple of days later she received an offer to “freelance” at the Oprah show. If she would have received the ad job, she would not have said “yes” to the Oprah show…
It reminded me of how a couple of years ago, I had applied for this job that was going to take me back to Phoenix. At the time, I was commuting back in forth between Utah and Phoenix, oh and living in a hotel when I was in Utah. I wanted to go back home so bad. I received a “no”. At the time, I was devastated, I mean “devastated” even seems too light of a word. I got the call at 4:45pm that I did not get the job. I hurried out and barely made it to my car and burst into tears. I cried the entire night. Paul would call me to check on me, but I could barely speak. I was in a hotel room by myself, feeling like the world had ended.
But it turned out to be the most “beautiful no”. I moved departments and got to work with some amazing people, one who will be a lifelong friend. I learned a new area, which was the first time in my 24 years at the company. So, when the job offer came to move companies, I knew that I could learn something new, that I could do anything. It led me to my current day job working for an amazing leader, which I love. Getting that “no” taught me a lot, it built something in me. It showed me that everything is always for me. It has helped me believe that I can do anything, even starting my own coaching business.
I have grown more in the last 2 years than the 10 years before that. I have been able to re-write the story of all my “beautiful no’s”. I have received a ton of them over the years and they have ALWAYS led to something greater.
What have been your “beautiful no’s”? What did you learn and how are you better because of them?
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