Nudge Challenge Week 47 = Big Ask
NUDGE: "Ask for something big and face rejection"
BACKSTORY: I was inspired by a TED Talk from a man who did 100 Days of Rejection Therapy to desensitize himself from the pain of rejection and to overcome his fear. He asked for BIG things and anticipated getting a "no" response, although many times people surprised him and said yes to his outrageous requests! I don't like rejection (who does?!) so I knew this would be a good challenge for me to try!
QUOTE: "My rejection therapy taught me that 'the worst they can say is no' is actually not true. In fact, the worst they can say is 'you didn't even ask'. It implies I said 'no' to myself before others could reject me." - Jia Jiang, founder of above referenced 100 Days of Rejection Therapy
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I first decided to adopt Jiang's same criteria to set guidelines for making a big request: it would be ethical (no lying), legal, and doesn't defy the law of physics.
I found it was difficult to come up with an idea. Was this because I don't dream big enough or because I am afraid to ask? I wanted my big request to be something meaningful for me, for something I really cared about.
One idea came to me on Tuesday, and I took action right away. After watching the morning news and being disgusted with the US Senate's non-action on important gun control legislation, I contacted my two senators and made my big ask.
I have never contacted my senators before or expressed my political opinions openly. I used the contact forms on their websites to express who I was and what I wanted - open discussion in the US Senate for expanding background checks to nearly all gun buyers. The safety of students, teachers, and all citizens is very important to me. I made this big request knowing it would most likely be rejected or ignored, but I felt good that I tried to take action.
I made another request on Wednesday at work. I told three telemarketers who called our office the same morning (with the same script!) to please take us off their list and stop calling. It was a big ask...and it was ignored. The calls continued.
LESSONS LEARNED: This nudge brought up some bigger issues that have been lurking for awhile. I learned to not be afraid of asking for what I want....but this requires me to actually know what I want! Ouch. I need to do some soul-searching to find an answer to this question, and it will help me to make more big requests in the future.
NEXT UP: I laughed as I pulled the next nudge - "Learn the names of all the state capitals". This may sound too easy or obvious for some, but it is something I didn't learn (or retain!) from school. I can recite all the 50 states in alphabetical order under 1 minute, but I can't name more than a few capitals. It's time. I will learn this week!
BACKSTORY: I was inspired by a TED Talk from a man who did 100 Days of Rejection Therapy to desensitize himself from the pain of rejection and to overcome his fear. He asked for BIG things and anticipated getting a "no" response, although many times people surprised him and said yes to his outrageous requests! I don't like rejection (who does?!) so I knew this would be a good challenge for me to try!
QUOTE: "My rejection therapy taught me that 'the worst they can say is no' is actually not true. In fact, the worst they can say is 'you didn't even ask'. It implies I said 'no' to myself before others could reject me." - Jia Jiang, founder of above referenced 100 Days of Rejection Therapy
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I first decided to adopt Jiang's same criteria to set guidelines for making a big request: it would be ethical (no lying), legal, and doesn't defy the law of physics.
I found it was difficult to come up with an idea. Was this because I don't dream big enough or because I am afraid to ask? I wanted my big request to be something meaningful for me, for something I really cared about.
One idea came to me on Tuesday, and I took action right away. After watching the morning news and being disgusted with the US Senate's non-action on important gun control legislation, I contacted my two senators and made my big ask.
I have never contacted my senators before or expressed my political opinions openly. I used the contact forms on their websites to express who I was and what I wanted - open discussion in the US Senate for expanding background checks to nearly all gun buyers. The safety of students, teachers, and all citizens is very important to me. I made this big request knowing it would most likely be rejected or ignored, but I felt good that I tried to take action.
I made another request on Wednesday at work. I told three telemarketers who called our office the same morning (with the same script!) to please take us off their list and stop calling. It was a big ask...and it was ignored. The calls continued.
LESSONS LEARNED: This nudge brought up some bigger issues that have been lurking for awhile. I learned to not be afraid of asking for what I want....but this requires me to actually know what I want! Ouch. I need to do some soul-searching to find an answer to this question, and it will help me to make more big requests in the future.
NEXT UP: I laughed as I pulled the next nudge - "Learn the names of all the state capitals". This may sound too easy or obvious for some, but it is something I didn't learn (or retain!) from school. I can recite all the 50 states in alphabetical order under 1 minute, but I can't name more than a few capitals. It's time. I will learn this week!
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