The Mathematics of NO. And why you need MORE of them
“NO!”
The word we all hate.
Entrepreneurs probably even more.
Now, give me just 10 seconds,
and I BET I can make you fall in LOVE with it.
What if I told you: You are…
→ 22 “NOs” away from a billion-dollar idea.
→ 87 “NOs” away from your breakthrough.
How hungry would you be for that first “NO”?
How fast would you chase the second?
The MATH is actually pretty simple:
There’s a FINITE number of “NOs” between you and ANYTHING you want.
Most people just never burn through them.
Why?
Because we’re wired to avoid them.
Terrified of failure.
Sounds like something you’ve already heard?
Okay…
But the real question is:
WHY ARE WE SO SCARED OF FAILURE?
Two reasons, mostly:
1️⃣ Genetics – Our DNA sabotaging us.
Our ancestors lived in tribes of 150 people.
Fail badly? Everyone knew.
Fail REALLY badly?
They didn’t just “gossip” about you.
They threw you out 👉
Failure wasn’t just “embarrassing.”
It was a DEATH sentence ☠️
“But that was 10.000 years ago!”
Or so you may think…
Evolutionary Psychology shows:
→ It takes ±400 generations for the human brain to adapt.
→ That’s 10.000 years 🧠
Your brain STILL treats rejection like a survival threat.
2️⃣ The school system trained us wrong!
School taught us Failure = Bad.
→ The kid who nailed the test was BETTER than the one who didn’t.
The school system rewards MEMORIZATION, not experimentation.
But here’s the problem:
NO ONE ever changed the world by “coloring inside the lines.”
❌ You don’t get wealthy or successful by memorizing.
✅ You get there by pioneering: trying, FAILING, adapting.
The system DIDN’T teach you that.
It taught you to work hard… but not for yourself.
It taught you to:
→ Be a “good worker.”
→ Be a “team player.”
→ Be a “good citizen.”
→ “Follow the rules, don’t disrupt!”
In other words?
Maximize OTHERS’ interests.
But who’s maximizing YOURS?
Think about it, the reality is harsh:
NO ONE will prioritize your success for you.
But the GOOD NEWS:
👉 NO ONE will remember your “NOs” once you land that one “YES.”
👉 You only need to win ONCE.
And when you do, NO ONE will care about your past failures.
→ Colonel Sanders? 1.009 NOs before KFC.
→ Elon Musk? 3 failed rockets before SpaceX.
→ JK Rowling? 12 rejections before Harry Potter.
And the list goes on.
THEIR SECRET?
They treated “NO” as data. Not destiny.
YOUR MOVE?
In a world obsessed with success rates, we’ve forgotten a fundamental truth: GREATNESS lives on the far side of rejection.
Stop running from “NO.”
Start counting them.
Celebrate them.
Every “NO” is a step closer.
Every “not yet” is a lesson.
Every closed door is a redirect.
Failure ISN’T the opposite of success.
It’s the path to it.
The faster you collect “NOs,”
the sooner you’ll find your “HELL YES!”
What’s the biggest NO you’ve ever gotten?
What did it teach you?
To your success,
Gaetan Portaels
Original publication date — February, 2025 (HERE)