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# Yes Lives In The Land Of No
- URL: https://www.backstagecircle.com/yes-lives-in-the-land-of-no/
- Published: 2026-07-30T14:49:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-06T23:24:43.000Z
- Author: Rozalind MacPhail
- Tags: Music, Advice

*You can achieve anything you want in life if you're willing to receive a thousand no's."* 

\- Byron Katie

As working artists, we often silently experience so much rejection in our careers that it's miraculous how we even keep going.

Take this month for example. I've received 3 rejection letters to include in my fabulous collection of no’s. This makes it 6 no's this year so far. 

I’d like to say that rejection has been a rarity for me in my music career but it’s actually been the norm. No's for showcasing opportunities, festival performances, artist residency applications, funding opportunities and more. These rejections often sneak in when we have the least amount of protective armour to resist the blow. 

Do those rejections sting? Of course! Does it make me fearful of my future? Yup. Does it make me scratch my head as I wonder why I torture myself like this? Definitely! Is it the world's way of telling me that I should give up? ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

Rejection can be such a gift in REDIRECTION. An opportunity to press pause, push through, pivot to something different and when we feel like we’re hitting a brick wall, pull out. 

Rejection helps us evolve as we figure out where we might need to change our course to help us find more of our people. It keeps us fresh. It keeps us relevant. It helps us learn more about how we can have the biggest impact on our people.

I'm proudly collecting a whole bunch of no's right now and I'm feeling like a total badass because I'm not giving up on my dreams as I take new risks. 

Don't ever let rejection mean you're not good enough. It never means that you don't have what it takes to pursue your dreams. Quite the contrary. It's telling you you're right on track for bigger and better things - things you can't envision yet. Keep going!

*Rozalind MacPhail is a professional coach, audio-visual performer, recording artist, inspirational speaker and music educator based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. One of Canada’s most buzzed about Di Zhao sponsored artists, she’s produced numerous solo albums, composed music for film and toured internationally over the last two decades.*

[www.rozalindmacphail.com](http://www.rozalindmacphail.com/?ref=backstagecircle.com)