Ever feel like your life is going great and then all of a sudden... BAM! Something suddenly comes along to mess things up? Yeah, same. I've recently learned life does indeed suck sometimes. Let's not beat around the bush here, growing up and branching out is hard. The more experiences and opportunities there are, the more chances of failure and rejection.
I have been facing an unwarranted amount of rejection lately. In school, outside of school, socially, professionally, internship applications, and just life in general. Though I push myself tirelessly and try to remain one step ahead at all times, things don't always work out the way I'd hoped or planned. These types of situations happen to everyone at some point, sometimes more often than not. And sometimes it just feels like it keeps on happening, that nothing good could ever happen again.
It's time we face the facts. It sucks, and there's no way around it. As growing individuals living in a fast-paced, challenging world, we have an innate desire for success and belonging. To feel like you've failed at something rightfully makes you sad and believe it or not, you have every right to feel that way. If you have to cry, cry. If you need to talk, talk. If you need a minute, take five. Do whatever you must do to feel okay, and in your own time you will pick yourself up and be a better and stronger version of yourself.
Out of all the feelings in the world, rejection is one of the worst. It makes you feel unqualified, or undeserving of whatever/whoever it may be. Are they wrong or are they right? Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter. I'm here to play devil's advocate and give you three reasons why your rejection is actually a good thing. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. What matters most is the way you feel about yourself and how you choose to bounce back.
1. Through rejection comes realization.
Utilize this time to focus on yourself. Forget what wasn't working and continue pushing ahead. Instead of concentrating on the negative reasons why you are supposedly not good enough, list what makes you a qualified and vital individual in your own eyes. Remember, just because something doesn't work out, does not mean everything else won't. Keep on keepin' on and know that each dissapointing situation is an opportunity for real personal growth.
2. Your next success will feel 10x better.
You may feel down on yourself at this very moment, but remember feelings do fade. Feelings of pain and sadness are temporary; we tend to forget these things after a while. As you take this time to reflect, keep working hard towards your future goals, and once you do accomplish them, because you will, it will feel a million times better than before. If we were just handed success and approval all the time, it would start to get old, wouldn't it? As Winston Churchill said, "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Take this piece of advice from good ole' Churchill and use these failures as motivation for future success. It will come.
3. Put Things Into Perspective.
Try to put your current situation into perspective. Though cliche, if these problems you have now won't matter in 5 years, what's the point? To dwell on something you have no control over only results in wasted time and energy. Instead, remember that these situations are only temporary, and in due time you will forget how much you let the pain and hurt affect you.
Look, I'm a realist. Part of me thinks everything happens for a reason and maybe whatever happened was meant to happen. But then again, the other part of me knows sometimes life is just unfair, and we sometimes have to live through these unjust circumstances. As I continue to reflect on some of the things I have been rejected for, I still am faced with the feeling of disappointment and confusion. But, we are all human, and it's only human that we contemplate our downfalls. What matters most is how we go on, how we live our lives despite these downfalls.
Whoever you are, whatever your problems may be, know that it's all a part of life. As you pick yourself up and brush off your shoulders, good things are coming your way.
