Tag: #fearofrejection

When Fear Wears the Mask of Procrastination

We often beat ourselves up for procrastinating. We call it laziness. We accuse ourselves of lacking disciple and willpower. But what if the real culprit isn’t laziness?

What if it’s fear?

Behind every delay, there may be a deeper emotion hiding—fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough. We don’t avoid the task because we’re lazy; we avoid it because doing it exposes something vulnerable inside us.

We Delay What Matters Most

Have you noticed that we often procrastinate on the things that mean the most to us? That medical checkup we should make. That conversation we need to have. That idea to start a book club or sports club.

These aren’t trivial tasks—they matter. And that’s precisely why we delay them. We fear that starting means we might fail. Or worse, that we might not be enough. Fear traps us—but God invites us to trust.

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” — Proverbs 29:25

Perfectionism: The Polished Mask of Fear

Perfectionism often disguises itself as excellence, but at its core, it’s fear in a tailored suit. We say we’re “just waiting until it’s ready” or “I want to give it my best,” but sometimes we’re just stalling because we’re scared it won’t be perfect.

God doesn’t call us to perfection. He calls us to obedience. There will never be a perfect time. The best time is now—flawed, messy, but surrendered to Him.

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” — Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TLB)

The Cure for Fear is Trust

Procrastination loses power when we anchor ourselves in God’s promises. He doesn’t expect us to have it all figured out—He simply asks us to take the next step in faith. You’re not walking alone. God is with you.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified… for the Lord your God goes with you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: take a moment to notice what you’re putting off—not with shame, but with curiosity. Ask yourself: What am I afraid of?

Then bring that fear to God. Let His strength fill your weakness.

Because on the other side of that fear might be your next breakthrough.

Would You Get Rejected on Purpose?

Have you been rejected before? Do you fear rejection? Do you avoid rejection at all costs?

I recently watched an Instagram post by Maureen Evelyn, who created the rejecto app (I have not tried it yet). She decided to make it a challenging game to get rejected everyday. She even applied to Harvard to get rejected, but she was waitlisted instead! She purposely did crazy things to get rejected – to get herself out of her comfort zone and try new things, without letting her fear of rejection stop her.

Her mindset posed a reflective question to me:

What if rejection wasn’t something to fear, but something to seek?”

You could embrace rejection in practical ways:

  1. Set Rejection Goals – like what Maureen is doing with her app, set rejection goals to achieve every day or week, make it into a game and get over the fear and embarrassment! If possible, make it fun or funny!
  2. Celebrate Every “No” – celebrate overcoming your fear, and let it be a stepping stone towards your goals, and cheer yourself for taking the courage in the first place.
  3. Reflect and Learn – ask yourself what you can learn from the experience and how to improve next time, you can learn to turn every rejection into a lesson.

You can start with small rejections. Every rejection helps you to desensitise from the fear, embarrassment and judgment of rejection. Eventually, you will build the muscles of courage to take bold actions towards your goals and dreams.

I believe that this Power of Seeking Rejection can help you overcome your fears and build resilience. In fact, it can lead to unexpected opportunities, learning and growth. By overcoming my fear of rejection and impostor syndrome, I have published not one, but three books, in the past two years!

This is my invitation to you today: challenge yourself to get rejected on a regular basis, build your muscles to combat rejection, and take action to pursue your boldest dreams!