Stepping past rejection and into a life aligned with God, passion, and purpose is a story so many of us can relate to. I’m joined by Darryll Stinson, entrepreneur, pastor, and speaker, to talk about how a childhood full of rejection fuelled him to become who he is now.

About Darryll Stinson

Darryll Stinson helps outcasts, forgotten athletes, and the down-and-outs turn their rejections into success. He’s an entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, and most importantly a suicide survivor.

Darryll played defensive end at Central Michigan University from 2008-2011. He attempted to take his life in 2011 due to a severe career-ending back injury. Through a life-changing experience at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, Darryll got a second chance and came to believe that his life mattered. He began the arduous journey of discovering what his identity and purpose was beyond sports.

After years of research, meditation, workshops, and cross-examination, Darryll found his identity and purpose and began to help others do the same.

Darryll is the founder of Second Chance Athletes, a holistic athletic transition service for current, former, and forgotten athletes. He’s an executive pastor of Growth Ministries at Life Church International in Duluth, GA, where he oversees guest experience, small groups, and community outreach. He also partners with Fellowship of Christian Athletes to help athletes better their character, faith, and athletic performance.

About This Episode

Darryll shares his incredible life story that all centers on rejection. When he was a child, white students accepted him, but when he tried to connect to his Black peers, he faced rejection. This rejection caused Darryll to embrace all sorts of behaviors that weren’t aligned with his truth and, as such, he lost that connection with himself.

Darryll explains how he never dealt with these rejections when he was a kid, instead of pushing himself into sports because that’s where he felt he could be the best version of himself. But when an injury took him off the field, he spiraled into a deep depression that culminated in a suicide attempt. This is one of the biggest reasons Darryll encourages you to process any rejections you get when you get them so you don’t let them stew and build up to be even bigger than they initially were.

What Darryll realized was that his life could look successful on the outside, but inside, he was miserable. He was an opioid addict, sold drugs to pay for them, and lived a life that was completely out of alignment with who he was. When Darryll was in the hospital, he felt called to turn to God. Once he accepted this calling, his entire life transformed.

As a business mentor, the best advice, for both business and life, Darryll gives is to identify your next yes. Figure out what the next positive step in your life is and how you can do that. He explains why this is the best way to move forward with your life.

Darryll also gives some practical mindset shifts that you can start making today to become a successful entrepreneur. When you raise your vibration and think on a higher level, you’re indicating to God that you’re open and willing to go where He wants you to.

One of these mindset shifts is to start telling yourself a new story. If you’ve always thought you were not good at something, of course, you’re not good at it! Those thoughts become your reality. Start believing that you ARE good at something and new possibilities will open up for you.

Darryll explains the difference between passion and purpose. He shares what his passion is and how this differs from the purpose of his life. We talk about what happens when you figure out your passion and purpose and how you can measure the steps you take by whether or not they’re aligned.

What is the one decision you need to make to move your life forward? What’s the one yes you need to make to build your future? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!

Got a question you’d love to hear me answer on the show? Leave me a voice message here!

In This Episode

What different types of rejection exist
Why you need to process your rejection as it happens and not to let it sit and stew
How you can be successful on the outside, but miserable on the inside
How your life can transform in an instant when you embrace God
Why you should identify your next yes
Some essential mindset shifts you need to make to be a successful entrepreneur
Why you should tell yourself a new story to change your life
What the difference between passion and purpose is

Quotes

“Rejection, if you do not know how to properly manage it in your life, will push you further into depression, will push you into self-sabotage, will push you into more loss of identity. The time to process rejection is when it first happens. Don’t let it dwell.” (10:47)

“Really it’s not about the task that you have to do, it’s about the decision that you need to make. That’s what I call your ‘next yes.’” (25:43)

“Your thought life determines your decisions which determines your results.” (33:11)

“It does not matter what your job is, just be the best version of you. Give all of you to the world. All of your love, all of your joy, all of your compassion. All of your uniqueness because the world deserves you.” (51:33)

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Links

Ready to Gain Massive Clarity of Your Life's Purpose?

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Email Darryll at darryll@secondchanceathletes.com

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