Day 6 : Find Love

The challenge for today was to find love. I can't say that I found her but I certainly did find a good number of rejections. I also found my mojo.

The purpose of the day was to approach girls and ask them whether they would be interested in a relationship with me or at the very least advice on the best way I go about finding love.

I wanted to use this challenge to encourage and inspire people to overcome their fear of speaking to those individuals they may be interested in. Asking someone out can be a daunting prospect, however it is an ability that is integral to kicking off a relationship.

It was tremendously insightful to watch how people responded to a complete stranger showing interest. Surprisingly I found that I didn't get as many hostile responses as I thought I would.

Lesson learnt; girls actually respect a guy that has the courage to approach them. Courage is key to success. As far as rejection is concerned, I found a smile and a confident attitude will get you very far, regardless of how weird the approach.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela

Day 5 : London Harlem Shake

The challenge yesterday was to head across to Croydon Town centre to shoot a 'Harlem Shake' video with strangers, however we postponed it to carry out an unmissable challenge that proved to be very fruitful.

Since we couldn't do it yesterday we rolled it forward to today and decided to chose Trafalgar Square as our rejection ground.

On arrival we were pleased to find that another group of youths had decided to do the same thing. With a little persuasion I was able to co-ordinate a fairly noble attempt at the 'My 40 Days' version of the Harlem Shake.

Check out the video. I surprisingly found that more people were up for it than I thought.

Lesson learnt; You have to be imaginative to make things happen in life.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

Day 4 : Ant & Dec Competition

You couldn't make this stuff up and fortunately we captured what happened today on camera, as proof of the astounding nature of the day's events.

We turn up to Croydon Town Centre to see how many people we can rope in to do a Harlem Shake video and to our bewilderment, ITV are there filming a competition for a show. Once again, the peer pressure from the crew mixed in with sheer adrenaline, launches me into taking on the challenge of participating.

I will let the video speak for itself however I think it is worth noting at this point that every time I have stepped out of my comfort zone I have felt like I have grown or learnt something new.

This challenge, although somewhat spontaneous and nothing to do with what we set out to complete initially, proved two things to me; firstly, with the right amount of peer pressure I succumb to anything and secondly, stepping out of my comfort zone has its rewards.

This time it was 2 tickets to ITV's Ant and Dec's 'Saturday Night Takeaway', showing this Sat. Next time it may be £1 million investment for a business idea I come up with.

"The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." - Mark Zuckerberg 

Day 3 : London Fashion Week

The Brit awards are on tonight. As suggested by Luke Richmond on the Facebook Page, it had crossed my mind to head down and attempt to get in. 

On Monday however, Burberry put on a show of their own at the London fashion week and I made attempting to get into a celebrity besieged event, without an invite, a reality. This put me off trying to do it again, at least until I build up my confidence.

One thing I learnt was that the following two methods do not work:

• 1st: Attempt to walk straight in.
• 2nd: Attempt to run in. 

Neither worked and the video that follows is proof of this. (Don't ask me how my sister convinced me to do this)

The real lesson learnt, you need more of a plan to make the impossible a reality. You can't just bowl in.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Day 2 : Say "Hi" to Reggie Yates

Now admittedly, this was an impromptu challenge that wasn't filmed or sound recorded, so you are just going to have to take my word for it.

As I sat in Pret A Manger with my new manager Lydia Martin, Reggie Yates walks in and sits down behind us. Now this is one opportunity not miss. One little problem, what do I say and how do I say it?

I sat there for the next 10 minutes, bricking it. This guy has been someone I have watched and admired for over a decade; from his days on 'Diggit', all the way through to his illustrious Radio 1 career.

He get's up to leave, it's now or never. I jump up, shout out his name and then convolutedly begin to explain my project. Fortunately he is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He politely responds to me by saying he is off to a meeting but let's chat, he introduces me to his manager, gives me his card and heads down the stairs and out the door. I am hopeful of what may come of this.

Lesson of the day: Dive straight in, don't wait about. Waiting about makes it all the more harder to actually go for it.

"What I respect as far as in myself and in others is the spirit of just doing it. For better or worse, it may work and it may not, but I'm going to go for it. Ultimately I probably prefer to be respected for that than whether it works out or not, either winning or losing." - Hugh Jackman 

Day 1 : £100 Challenge

The start can always be the hardest part of a journey and it certainly felt that way today.

Today's challenge was to request £100 from passers by. An easy feat you might think, however the sheer absurdity of the request robs you of any justifiable standing.

It felt like there was simply no way around failing at this task, despite the various methods I attempted to employ. I came away thinking, 'surely no one could get a stranger to give them £100'. I invite you to prove me wrong.

Every challenge will bring it's lessons; today's was, 'do not take yourself too seriously' or else you are bound to take offence to people's rejections.

"Don't take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves." - Halle Berry 

Intro

My name is Caleb and I am undergoing 40 Days of Rejection. The premise behind the project is that in just 40 days by carrying out challenges that are bound to fail, I may prepare and reshape the way I respond to failure.

As I opt to take the entrepreneurial route in life, positively responding to failure and rejection has to become second nature. The fear of failure is both demoralising and crippling, yet an issue that has predominantly gone unaddressed in the education system.

The challenges I will be undertaking are ones that you, the public have suggested on the Facebook Page. By taking on these challenges that are deemed entirely unachievable and socially awkward, I will learn to come out of my comfort zone, think outside the box, and take risks as I attempt to successfully achieve each day's challenge.

As you follow me on this journey, I hope to inspire you to chase your dreams and not let the fear of failure stop you from reaching and exceeding your potential.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.