As a freelancing emcee I have struggled with the fear of rejection and when I understood how this fear was holding me back from realizing my most ambitious dreams, I started practicing ways to desensitize myslef from the pain of rejection and develop a positive attitude towards it.
I once heard someone say "if you are not getting rejected at least once a day, you are not asking enough" and this changed my life.
These lessons from Jia Jiang's Rejection Therapy have helped me build the courage to ask for more and become a better negotiator and communicator.
"No" is often used by someone as a protective measure when they don't have all the information needed to move forward.
We can often turn a "no" to a "yes" by asking "why?". Asking "why" gives the person an opportunity to share what about your ask is making them uncomfortable. Now its a joint-problem solving situation where you have an opportunity to address their concerns.
Putting yourself in the other person's shoes and mentioning a doubt the other person may have before you make your ask could help gain you their trust and with that people are more likely to say "yes".
Persistence often turns a "No" into a "Yes".
Rejection never defines you. Your reaction following rejection define you. Use it to fuel your determination to succeed. It can be a gift if you are open to learning from it.