It’s Day 3 and my life has been quite unusual. Following a goal actually seems like activating a genie who threw me in a sea of sharks dealing with each and every one with a poking stick.
I learned to choose to respond to rejection, because this could determine the entire course of my future. These are just some things that I learned today and I am sharing this because anyone who wanted to transition from employment to entrepreneurship might also encounter these things in the process.
It pains to be rejected. Being a recruiter, I’ve been rejected by countless people already (maybe even thousands of them!) so I thought I have this sense of ‘self defense’ against rejection. However, little did I know that being rejected in your own business is something much stronger and more paralyzing. So my day started with the usual employee morning routine but the difference today is that I have been eating rejections almost the entire day.
In what ways, you may ask? Let me share with you some of the possibilities that I experienced first hand.
- Doing something different always result to a comparison with the status quo
- They just think you are some kind of salesperson and is just trying to sell something
- They know you too well to believe you
- They think you are a scam to society who’s not worth any
- Their lack of vision to what you say makes them say no easily
- It’s just not their right time yet
- They just have too many excuses because they can’t tell you straight
Everyone experiences the sting of rejection at one point in life, but mentally strong people use that pain to grow stronger and become better. So, how does one become mentally strong? Personally I am stating this from my experience:
- Acknowledge the Feeling of Rejection
Being vulnerable and fragile does not mean you are weak. It means that you are confident despite being imperfect and flawed. Thus you will have to rely on your confidence with yourself that you can still hold your head high despite being too uncomfortable. Just remember that you are still in the learning curve. It’s okay to feel discomfort and a bit of sadness.
2. Be Compassionate (for yourself and for others)
Find the good in all kinds of situations and demonstrate a sense of gratitude no matter what the circumstance is (that means including the bad). Personally I recommend that writing 5 grateful things helps me change my perspective in life. I learned this from my past experiences and it does help a lot.
3. Use Rejections to push you to be better
I dunno about you, but everytime someone rejects me, I have this inner desire to prove to them that I am going to be better and that I am going to show them that I am really different. I just get this intense fuel from my heart that gives me the drive and I would go over mountains to prove them wrong. I guess this is just how my parents taught me about life. Growing up in a third world country, it taught me to be resilient and tough. I did not have the luxury of life growing up, so I was really taught that when the tides go against you, persevere with faith and have the courage to live life to the fullest.
4. Grow from the Experience
There is always an opportunity to learn from each and every experience. By means of evaluation and a little meditation, the experience can help you become stronger, wiser and more prepared so that if the time comes that you will encounter the same scenario, you will know how to handle it. Give a little time to analyze what happened; this can define a huge difference in your life.
In conclusion, these ideas are just based on what I have learned from my experience. The way you choose to respond to rejection could determine the outcome of your future. In fact, you will actually learn about areas in your life where you might need improvement, and probably you will actually recognize that being turned down isn’t awful as you imagined, rejection can be a good teacher.
See you in Day 4.
Footprints of a Life Well Lived 