Don’t Take It Personal

One of the most consistent traits I see in successful business people is that they are committed to not taking other people’s opinions personally.

This one’s a bit more personal because, while it applies to life in general, I try to stay focused on business rather than becoming a psychological or spiritual teacher. But it’s fitting because rejection is something we face all the time in this business. We send emails that don’t get responses, we bid on jobs and don’t get them, we try for portfolio shows and don’t make it in.

This isn’t something to take personally—it’s information to help guide us to do better. If you didn’t get the job, ask yourself why. Do you need to bid differently? Does your portfolio need to shift and change? Do you need to test more and bring in new images that will get you the job? That’s what I mean.