Rejection is actually good for us.  Why?  It keeps us humble, helps us grow and builds character. We can only embrace the sweetness of success once we know the bitterness of defeat.  It's important to learn from the whole experience, regardless of how devastating it may be.  If a lesson can be learned from a bad situation then nothing will be lost, only gained. Use rejection as a compass for what not to do; every NO you encounter brings you closer to a YES.

Here is one of my favorite success stories (and there are many) about overcoming rejection.  In 1998, 27 years old businesswoman Sara Blakely founded the product Spanx from her apartment in Atlanta.  She had an idea, $5,000 and pure determination.  One of her challenges was, she had absolutely no idea how to launch a new product.  After much research she learned how to write a patent, build a prototype and viola Spanx was born! She soon learned the road to success was not paved in gold, for the next two years she hit the highway - literally, only to be rejected by everyone.  Finally, in 2000 she got a much deserved break from a buyer at Neiman Marcus and was finally able to launch her new product line.  That same year she was invited to talk about her new product on Oprah.   Today, her company is worth $150 million with 55 employees and 100 products.  To read more about Sara Blakely visit http://bit.ly/8l1dzW.

I have never met Sara but yet she has inspired me in many ways.  Not just because she is so successful, but because she never gave up in the face of relentless rejection. She persevered despite the odds because she believed in her product and her hard work paid off in spades.