“Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.”

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Sometimes rejection shakes us up at our core and it causes us to doubt ourselves and at times even believe the negative things that people have told us in the past about ourselves and our limits. Here’s the thing about rejection that’s easy to forget though; it means you at least tried at something. You at least tried to land the job of your dreams.

Just because you didn’t get it doesn’t mean you should just give up and quit but you should take it and learn something and keep on moving on because life is going to keep on whether you want it to or not. It’s up to you how you choose to keep on moving through life after rejection. It’s easy to believe all the negative aspects from a failed relationship or an attempt at a relationship if you don’t think about the fact that you at least tried.

You gave it your all and now it’s time to move on. It’s easy to dwell on things when you don’t have anything to focus on after but there’s always something new and better coming ahead if you’re willing to keep trying and keep going. Rejection is a gift wrapped as a tragedy sometimes and you just have to keep unwrapping the terrible duct tape gift wrapping paper to see it but it’s there. Some days it becomes a lot easier to believe all the negative things that come with rejection.

That we’re not good enough, that it’s never going to happen, that we’re never going to get to where we want to be and you can’t listen to that voice. You can’t live in that mindset because you’re the only one who has control over changing that voice. You have the chance to keep learning, keep growing, and keep gaining experiences that will change you for the better. We make the choice to turn the negative moments into positive learning experiences.

We make the choice on how we approach situations, even the most terrifying and overwhelming ones. We make those choices and sometimes rejection pushes us towards them in the best way. You can hurt and you can be sad but you have to make the choice to keep trying. You can cry and be angry and blame the world but in the end it’s you that has to keep going. You can sit down and be disillusioned and disappointed but eventually you have to get up.

You have to get up because life is a long line of rejections and decisions to keep on moving from them. Here’s the thing about rejection, it means you were willing to try and fail at something you wanted. To feel rejected you have to want something bad enough for it to feel like a hit when you don’t get it. You have to want something enough to go for it.

You have to want something enough to be willing to be rejected. You have to want something enough to learn and grow even after rejection. Rejection can be a gift even when it doesn’t seem like it. It can serve as the best motivator and influencer at times you just have to be willing to work through it.