The 10% Target
Make ten bold attempts at what you want most — you either get it or go immune to failure.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- —
Jennifer Cohen's framework (the subject of her first, viral TED talk): pick what you want most and make ten real attempts at it. One of two things happens. Either you get the thing — or a different opportunity you didn't know existed appears because you actually went after it repeatedly. And a guaranteed secondary payoff: by attempt ten you've become immune to the feeling of failure, because you've done it so many times it no longer stings. The mechanism pairs boldness (ask directly for what you want) with volume (ten tries) so that rejection loses its power and hidden doors open. It is the asking-side twin of deliberately consuming non-terminal failure.
Origin
Jennifer Cohen's '10% Target,' from her first TED talk on asking boldly for what you want in life; discussed on her Habits & Hustle podcast.
Core principles
- 01Ask directly and boldly for what you want most.
- 02Ten attempts, not one, is the unit.
- 03Either you get it or an unknown opportunity surfaces.
- 04Volume of attempts makes you immune to rejection.
How to run it
- 1
Name what you want most
Pick the single outcome you want most in life or work right now and state it explicitly.
- 2
Commit to ten attempts
Decide up front to make ten real, direct attempts at getting it rather than a single tentative ask.
Watch out One attempt teaches you nothing and builds no immunity.
- 3
Go after it repeatedly
Actually make the asks and attempts, accepting that most may be nos.
Pro tip Watch for a second opportunity you didn't know existed, surfaced by the act of trying.
- 4
Bank the immunity
By the later attempts, notice that the feeling of failure has lost its charge — you're now used to it.
In the wild
Cohen's first TED talk built on the 10% target — the idea that ten bold attempts either land the goal or make you immune to failure — and went viral.
→ A repeatable rule for asking boldly that resonated widely.
Common mistakes
Making one timid attempt
A single hedged ask can't open hidden doors or build tolerance to rejection.
Quitting after the first no
The immunity and the surprise opportunities only arrive through repeated attempts.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone who under-asks — for the raise, the intro, the opportunity — out of fear of a no.
Not ideal for
Contexts where repeated direct asks would be inappropriate or damage the relationship.
From the episode
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