Challenges are a part of anyone who has a dream. In her initial years, after leaving corporate America, Payal Nanjiani faced an uphill battle with numerous hardships testing her resilience. These obstacles on her path to success were filled with failures, rejections, and heartbreaking experiences. However, her sheer determination to reach greatness served as her North Star in this tumultuous journey. Payal was recognized as the only woman from India to be an influential executive coach and author in a male-dominated industry in America.
This is an interview with the world’s top executive coach, motivational speaker, and bestselling author, Payal Nanjiani. Let’s delve deeper into her story.
Overcoming Obstacles on the Path to Success
Payal comes from a very loving family in India, where her parents brought her up with lots of love and attention. She started her career in India at Copper Chimney Restaurants as their HR and soon rose to success. However, in 1999, she had to relocate with her husband to the United States of America. The move suddenly gave a detour to her growing career. It was very difficult for her to get into corporate America. She faced numerous rejections from companies, despite having the skills and degree. Slowly, she was able to establish herself in the company and start working. During this time, she also became a mother to two lovely daughters, who are now pretty much grown up and independent.
Later, in 2008, Payal stepped out of corporate America to help more people become successful in their careers. Her biggest challenge then was to get corporate America to accept her in the field of leadership speaking, coaching, and book writing. Being a completely white-dominated industry, Payal had to face many rejections and failures to establish herself. Adding to this, there was now no stability of a regular paycheck flowing in for her.
“Success never discriminates between a man or a woman. Success only sees if you are truly committed.” - Payal Nanjiani
Defying the Odds: Standing Firm in the Face of Failure
Payal hit rock bottom in her life when every company she introduced her coaching and leadership training rejected her. Payal failed miserably in her very first public appearance on stage as a leadership speaker. Her career path went on a downward spiral after that. But Payal worked harder than any other coach and speaker around that time. She would wake up at 4:30 am to start her work. She spent hours mastering her craft. There really weren't many women of Indian descent doing what Payal does, and so there was no role model to look up to. She slowly began accepting herself and became comfortable in her skin. She practised for hours on her speaking skills and created some of the best leadership content.
Eventually, she got to be known as the only Indian-American woman to be a powerful leadership speaker and author in a male-white-dominated industry.
17 Rejections Before Her First Book Was Published
The next challenge Payal had to overcome was to develop belief in herself and in her work. Payal started writing her first leadership book in 2016. She had a manuscript ready, but she needed a publisher. Her first attempt ended in rejection, as did the second and third. The belief that she had something to help people succeed, despite what publishers were telling her, kept her going. She submitted to a fourth, fifth, and sixth publisher, only to receive negative responses. However, she refused to give up. She kept sending her manuscript to publishers, even after receiving rejection letters. She was determined to see her dream come to fruition.
Later, she was told that Payal received emails of rejections from publishers stating, “No one would read or buy a leadership book written by an Indian-American woman.”
Payal’s persistence paid off when a publishing company named Routledge Publishers decided to take a chance on her manuscript. Her first leadership book became an instant success and received the New York Big City Award and Canada's Excellence Award. After that, she went on to publish her fourth book with the same publishers.
“Wherever there is self-doubt, there is self-belief. It's all a matter of what you choose.”
Despite her success now, Payal has always been open and vocal about her difficult career path so she can inspire people around the globe that success is all about staying in the game until you make it.
If you have a dream or a passion and you keep getting rejected or running into failure, don’t let that stop you. If you’re going through a tough time in your life, don’t give up.
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