Twenty people saying no is the price of one person saying yes. Budget for the nos.

Rejection feels like a verdict when it is closer to a rate. Any process where you ask strangers for something runs at some ratio, and the nos are not failures inside that ratio, they are the units you spend to reach the yes. Counting them differently changes how much each one hurts.

Decide in advance how many attempts you are willing to make, and treat each refusal as progress through the list rather than evidence about you. Track the number. When it stings, remind yourself you are paying down a total you already agreed to.