A vibration and ding erupts from my pocket, I pull out my iPhone to find an email from the digital magazine I had submitted a short play to:

"We are extremely grateful for the chance to read your submission. However, we won't be printing your piece this time."

Oh, that's a bummer. I was hoping they'd consider my writing for publication. At least they responded, I still haven't heard back from several play festivals.

"Putting yourself out there" can be a scary thing, especially with the rate of rejection being so high in a competitive field. But something that we often fear, should be thanked and respected. You might be thinking "Is he asking me to praise rejection?" Yes, yes I am.

Without rejection there would be no success. If everyone was prosperous then there would be nothing special about achieving one's goals. To generalize, usually people feel dejected and exasperated when facing rejection. They see it as a sign to give up, to move on and try something else. I see it as a challenge, "Oh, so you don't like my submission? Just wait till my next one; it's going to blow you away." Or, "You didn't think that audition song fit my voice? I'm going to come in for you next month and you'll be astounded by my progress."

Changing how you view denial can make a huge difference in how you approach your everyday life. It can be a way to push you to your best potential, and even boost your appreciation for the masters in your craft.

Sit down to dinner with your rejection and analyze what went wrong; what could you improve on? Maybe you submitted your writing to the wrong publisher, or maybe your audition song wasn't in the correct style for that theatre company. After being denied, self-reflection is very important in order to continue improving.

Yes, getting the "Thank you so much for your time and effort. However, we will not be choosing you" message is never a fun one to recieve. But never forget that there is always a lot to learn from being rejected.