As someone who has been experiencing a lot of rejection as a writer, I needed something to help me turn those rejections into learning experiences, which I hate the idea of learning from being turned down. While the narrative gave a lot of personal experiences and how the author turned his rejections into meaningful experiences to learn from, I don't feel like I received anything helpful for my own use. It could just be that I'm just going through too emotional of a time. But I did enjoy the author's style of storytelling. He does have a knack at soothing the reader and keeping them engaged. A bonus is that this book is short and a quick read for when one wants an optimistic boost.

This is a short book, however, has some useful takeaways regarding rejection. I felt that the advice that information is not emotional was especially good. The author suggests that one should investigate factual details such as the why and how of rejections rather than seeing rejection as something personal. In this way, we can learn from the process, rather than allowing the fear of rejection to get in the way of ultimate success.

This is a step-by-step guide to turning a rejection into a positive. With Cohen's advice, you can look at things in a different way and make your life a more positive one. Turn that rejection into a way to learn more and thrive!

I tend to have a hard time with motivational reading. Somehow I just can never get into them however, this book drew me in and I got through it pretty quickly.. It's inspiring without being cheesy and an easy read.

Great tips and insights into approaching life with a learning mindset. Not revolutionary but well articulated and a good reminder.

This is a very short book with valuable information. Most of the information was not new but I do appreciate the small guide with practical tips to help you discover your strengths, recognize your worth and find success. I do like the title, Win Or Learn, it helps to think of it that way versus something such as win or lose. There are no losing situations, just opportunities! Thank you to NetGalley and Simple Truths for an arc.

Wow I was hooked by the introduction.
I would have to say that i would highly recommend this read to many who enjoy self-help motivational reads. It is very short and simple, which i personally enjoy.

This is a great read to start off your year.

The Process: 1)Want something, 2)Get comfortable with the uncomfortable, 3) Think People,Places, and Patience, 4) Tell your story as if it has already happened, 5) Celebrate, reflect, repeat.

Some of my favorite take backs:
Intro: asking for what you want and continuing to pursue it

Note that wanting something is like a muscle, when you stop it weakens. Wanting is dangerous if you do it right. There are 3 possible outcomes to wanting something so be prepared: you will get what you want, you will not, you will get it and then lose it.

The Universal rejection truth, not everyone and everything will always respond to you the way you want. Three kinds of rejections:1)self rejection, 2) rejection by circumstance, 3)raw rejection because it can't be changed.

I felt like the last two sections did not inspire me as much, but maybe that is just a personal preference.

...
Thank you, Harlan Cohen, Simple Truths, an imprint of Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Broken down into five easy to apply steps, this self-help book is just as practical for a teen as it is for an older adult. The author is to the point while remaining engaging with his personal anecdotes and is at times even humorous (which is a rarity in the self-help section where purple prose seems to be the current go-to). At its simplest deduction, this book teaches the reader how to let go of negativity and to instead see it as a learning experience. Instead of viewing unfavorable outcomes as losses or failings, we should look at them with the viewpoint of, What did I learn?
I've instituted some of the suggestions from this book since I read it and have noticed some subtle differences. I don't think I'll ever fully embrace his methodology, simply because I don't think it's a match for my personality (for example, I'm not going to request a seat over and over for a supposedly full flight). However, I do think this very practical and helpful book would be beneficial reading for an older teen or recent high school graduate.
As others have mentioned, the photos interspersed throughout the book did not feel necessary. While visually delightful, they did not add to the message and came across to me as nothing more than filler. The book is already quite short, so the full-page photographs have a padding effect to make the book appear more usual in length.
While I did find the messages in this book to be thought-provoking, I'm giving it a rating of 3.5 because I felt it could have gone further and would have benefited from the addition of more examples or real-life scenarios. However, I do plan on purchasing copies for recent high school graduates in the near future and will look back at the quotes I wrote down when I am in need of a pick-me-up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary advance copy. This did not impact my review.

I loved the idea of this book, however, I'm kind of disappointed because I already knew most of what supposed to be learned from this book. But that's on me. I still think this is palatable and much more useful to other readers.

In WIN OR LEARN, Harlan Cohen shares the experiences and expertise of a lifetime spent coaching others to their best selves and lives. Throughout this story-studded book, I felt like I was in the presence of a master, a kind and gentle guide to how to manage through triumphs and disasters and emerge whole, stronger, and happier no matter what happens. I absolutely enjoyed every insight, his style, and clear points. His book reminds me of the best barre class teacher I ever knew who insisted that we become comfortable with being uncomfortable -- a woman I respect and appreciate for that lifelong perspective --and now she is joined by another such life and living master.

This book isn't terrible. It's just very short. Even so, it's very repetitive. There's maybe an article's worth of information in it. Yet the list price is $4.99? SMH.

Another fantastic self-development book is Win or Learn by Harlan Cohen. He goes on to share about how people should take these steps to turning rejection into ultimate success. It has everything to do with our mindset.

Prior to reading this book I though my life was just grand. It’s been an easy road where every day felt the same contentment. Then I read Win or Lose by Harlan Cohen to find that my life has so much more potential!

In this book, Cohen explains why and how to turn rejections into success! This means so much to me because I have my own business and I haven’t been reaching my goals like I’d planned. I seem to put maybe two weeks of effort and then when I don’t get the answers I want I put my business on neutral and i coast the rest of the way.

But this isn’t how my business will grow! I need to realize that others may not be on the same wavelength as I am. This book encourages planting the seed, share meaningful conversation, and seeing how I can be helpful to support the person or family. Everything will fall i Tom place when that persons ready. I cannot expect others to be ready because I want them to be!

A digital ARC of Win or Learn by Harlan Cohen was provided complimentary by Sourcebooks nonfiction via NetGalley. While a review is not required, I write one to hopefully help readers and authors alike. I give this book 5 our of 5 tiaras as I will purchase a copy for my personal library and I feel the information will benefit me in balmy business.

Harlan Cohen's “Win or Learn” is a book that consists a process of five practical experiments that will teach you different ways to be immune to the rejections of life and the vulnerabilities that come with those rejections!

In a nutshell, this book will teach you to:

▪️'want' something,
▪️accept and embrace the discomfort that comes with it—in the author's words: to get comfortable with the uncomfortable,
▪️find the right people and the right places (resources) that will help to get whatever you want,
▪️ change perceptions and beliefs about your life that you might have conditioned yourself by telling yourself the story of your life in a wrong way,
▪️ develop a habit of telling your story not by the victim's perceptive but by the perceptive of someone you want to be, and,
▪️ celebrate little achievements and reflecting on all those different ways that may not work for you and find the one that 'may' work—after all, wanting something is a process of trial and error!

Learning ‘The Universal Rejection Truth’ was the first best takeaway that I learned from this book, which says that not everyone and everything will always respond to us the way we want; we are not mean to get whatever that we want and no matter what, we will eventually get rejections from people/jobs/things that are not meant for us. But does it mean we should stop trying?

That's where the second-best takeaway can be helpful, which suggests: “Information is not emotional.” if we are hit by a rejection then instead of attaching emotions with it, the author inspires us to find ‘Why’ and ‘how’ and to use them as facts to change the way we approach that 'dream, 'career', or 'person'.

It's not tough as it may seem because the author also gives reflective and follow-up questions to practically learn and implement takeaways in our life. This book is releasing on 5th January 2021; if you are looking forward to giving the next year an amazing head start, then you can count on this book! and yes, that means I am highly recommending it.

“Your job is simple. Want something. Know that you are enough. Dream it. Believe it. Make it happen.”*

Cohen’s approach on rejection is straightforward, simple, and life changing. Fear of rejection plagues most people, preventing them from taking risks. That inaction and fear, along with the devastation of taking rejection personally holds people back. The author offers a better way to look at risk taking and rejection that offers readers the potential for unlimited success.

The title for the book comes from a quote from Nelson Mandela: “I never lose. I either win or I learn.” This nicely sums up the core tenet of looking at rejection differently, namely viewing it as an opportunity to gain knowledge. Therefore, rejection is never a losing proposition.

WIN OR LEARN provides the universal law of rejection, the three reasons behind rejection, and rationale for not taking rejection personally. Also included is a multistep process for setting goals and making them a reality. A chapter is devoted to each of the steps: Want Something, Get Comfortable with the Uncomfortable, Think People, Places, and Patience, Tell Your Story as If It Has Already Happened, and Celebrate, Reflect, and Repeat. This approach is straightforward and powerful, and the applications are endless.

2020 was a horrible year for so many people. WIN OR LEARN can help make 2021 a whole lot better.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simple Truths, an imprint of Sourcebooks, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

I enjoyed reading this book. Although basic in content, it was presented well, with lots of stories to draw the reader in.. Some of the suggestions were helpful and some minimal, yet overall I was able to read the entire book and take more from it than I left.

This is a down-to-earth book on making success out of rejection. Beautiful pages. Lessons for life. Stories to inspire. Offers a process for assignments and reflections to dig deep. A short but inspiring read by someone who knows a thing or two about rejection.

How frustrating is it to be told by all the different sources the things you must do to be successful in life? This book definitely does NOT do that. It instead takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this book a great deal and learned a lot from it. Harlan Cohen developed a useful way to take rejection, which happens to all of us all the time, and turn it into an effective recipe to achieve success. If you follow his smart goals instructions, you'll either win, meaning you achieve what you set out to achieve, or you learn something from the process. So, in essence, you can never really lose. This overarching theme is based on a statement made by Nelson Mandela. He said, "I never lose. I either win or I learn." I found this self-help book engaging, inspiring, and it shifted my mindset toward a more positive way of looking at failure and turning it into success. Highly recommended!

Win or Learn is a welcome addition to the personal develop space. Harlan Cohen's book is an easily digestible work focusing on the idea that in work (and life!) you either win or learn, and both are worthwhile outcomes. I appreciated the format of the book and focus on mindset work as the key to developing a win or learn approach. He emphasizes the idea that success is not just about getting what you want every time, but about taking what you want to the world and then listening and learning from the information you receive in return. It did seem a little repetitive at times, but I think that only helps with emphasizing the key points. While I don't think there are any earth shattering revelations in its pages, Win or Learn is definitely worth a read for those looking to further their growth mindset evolution.

In “Win or Learn”, Harlen Cohen lays out a straightforward sequence of steps to help the reader achieve his/her goals. Times are tough, we all face many challenges right now (November 2020, third coronavirus wave) and it is incredibly easy to get lost in the day to day stressors. It takes an incredibly disciplined mind to see your way through and maintain perspective.

We are rarely that mentally strong all the time - or even enough of the time. Cohen tells it like it is, starting with “Change is uncomfortable” and introducing “The Universal Rejection Truth”: That “not everyone and everything will always respond to you the way you want.” He returns to this often, as it is an important fact of life that the reader has to accept before moving on.

There are some real gems here, such as “The Three Types of Rejection”, “Change What You Don’t Love; Tolerate What You Can’t Change”, and, of course, “I never lose. I either win or I learn” the quote from Nelson Mandela from which the title comes.

At 152 pages, this is a quick read and a book that you can return to time and time again. It occurred to me in the middle of reading this book that the problem with finishing it is that the book goes on the shelf or you may never open it again on your Kindle or another e-reader device.

What I decided to do was to take all my highlighted titles and text and turn them into Anki cards using a program called RemNote (free). With RemNote, one can easily enter the outline of the book and key phrases that are important parts of your program, such as “Give yourself permission to feel the best-case” in the section “How to Create Your Story.” With Anki cards, you can flip through them daily - or at a frequency you need - to keep the program in mind.

I didn’t know what to expect from “Win or Learn” when I first opened the book, but I have been very pleasantly surprised at how accessible it is and it’s practicality. Pick up a copy, read it - and return to it often, whether or not you use Anki cards. There are many fundamental truths here that we can all benefit from.