Starting Block

I climbed in the car and switched on the engine. I'm always a few minutes late picking up my son from school because I inevitably have to wake Sophie up from her nap in order to leave.

I hate waking babies up from naps.

But I digress.

The radio was on. As usual.

And these were (something like) the first words I heard as I reversed and pulled out of the driveway:

Guy A: So, that must be the hardest part of being an actor -- the rejection.

Guy B: No, no, it really isn't. See, I've come to think of rejection as my block -- you know, like what runners use at the beginning of a race? Rejection is the starting block that propels me forward.

I was late, so I couldn't grab a pen and notebook at that moment, but I repeated that line in my head all the way down the hill to my son's school.

I found out later in the interview that it was Corbin Bernsen talking, formerly of 1980's hit show LA Law.

But, whoa, what a quote!

Rejection is the starting block that propels me forward.

Have you ever thought of rejection that way? Pushing you to new heights, new speeds you never would have reached if acceptance had been easy?