How To Face Rejection? Well, Reject it!
Rejection doesn't’ t mean you aren’t good enough; it means the other person failed to notice what you have to offer - Mark Amend
July 2018, Montreal. I was at a company event showcasing the products of the company I used to work for, suddenly I felt a shooting pain in my back but in that event hustle-bustle, I carried on, completed the event. Even received a standing ovation from the audience for the efforts. But that joy was short-lived as that afternoon on the way back to Toronto, I was barely able to sit straight, and pain killer pills felt like candy.
The next day, I learned that I had suffered a slipped disc in my back and was advised 3-month bed rest and physiotherapy which meant I had to leave my first job in Canada in just four months.
It was both an emotionally and physically challenging road to recovery for me full of highs and lows (more lows than highs I may add). It was a journey that brought in many changes in my life and gave me some invaluable lessons for life and one of them which I would like to share today was how to handle rejection.
Once I became better physically, one of the first tasks was to get a job again. A long wait for the jobs thus began, and the “we regret to inform you….” mails started to become a daily routine. It was heartbreaking as I was not getting shortlisted to even the jobs where I was a great fit. And I was struggling to keep myself motivated and feeling dejected as every “No” was creating self-doubt and making me wonder “Am I good enough?”. The concept of even applying to new jobs itself used to give me jitters.
Then I was introduced to this life-changing concept by my life coach– Reject Rejection. Don’t take rejection to your heart and take it as a call to try harder and better. Just do an honest evaluation of your efforts and carry on.
And when the rejection knocks at your door again, simply tell yourself “No means Next” and with every “No” I am getting closer to a “Yes”. Learn, improve, and try again.
Practicing this simple concept helped me immensely as I got my focus back. I did an honest introspection, realized my mistakes, re-crafted my resume, did better research, and kept applying. Yes, it took time, there were some close calls, some outright “Nos” but I kept at it and kept telling myself that “your application has been rejected for the X job, not you”.
It took a while and wasn’t easy at all but since I didn't give up after a “few hundred Nos” the yes came and that too for a job with the desired designation. Since then this has become my trusted regimen whenever a rejection of any kind comes my way.
We live in a tough world that has been made even tougher by COVID. Rejection is a part of the game. It could be for a job you wish to have, or a no to a promotion in a job, or even a no in love! The idea should be to not give in. Hang in there and not let that no define you as a person. Don’t read more into it than what’s required. Keep getting better and reject the feeling of rejection. Whenever you get a no, smile and in your mind say next. The yes will knock at your door soon.