Have you even had an idea that could have accelerate your success, but you didn't take advantage of it because you wanted to avoid rejection? Here's an example.

There was a man who lived everyday with once consuming dream - to become an actor. All he needed was parts to play. Undaunted, his dream drew him to write his own part. He put together a script and began looking for someone to produce it. He went from agent to agent and studio to studio; but no matter what he did, nothing came of it. He was turned down over a thousand times! Even if he had given up here, most people would still have called him courageous because he kept going in spite of all the rejection. But that's not where the story ends.

Finally, somebody liked his script. The timing couldn't have been better; he was flat broke. Yet because his dream to be an actor was so great, he turned down the $100,000 he was offered for his script - the producer wanted someone else to play his part! He kept searching until he got exactly what he wanted; he eventually starred in the movie he wrote, and won an Oscar. It was then followed by four sequels. Four holding on to his dream and turning down the initial $100,000 buyout offer, he now gets several million dollars per picture.

What would have happened if Sylvester Stallone had avoided rejection? Nobody would have ever know who "Rocky" was.