See Rejection as Redirection

What does rejection mean to you? Where does your mind go when you experience rejection? For some people, rejection is a mere roadblock along the way, but for others, rejection is a dead end. They get discouraged, shut down, and give up on whatever it was they were pursuing. However, experiencing rejection does not have to be the end of the line; instead, we should think of it as the starting point for redirection.

The specific avenue you were pursuing may not have worked out, but that doesn’t mean your end goal is hopeless. It just means that you have the opportunity to work toward your goal in another manner. You won’t land every pitch you present, you won’t get hired for every job you apply for, and you won’t be liked by every person you come in contact with. Even still, you don’t give up. There will always be another pitch, another job, and another person to impress. You keep pushing forward until you find your rhythm and achieve your goals.

Life is full of obstacles, but that’s exactly what they are– obstacles. This leads to increased innovation, builds resilience, and teaches you important lessons along the way. Treat every challenge you face as an opportunity for growth. Strive to do and be better, both personally and professionally. Rejection is often a part of life, and in fact, some of the most famous and influential people we know have faced a tremendous amount of rejection.

Walt Disney was fired from his local newspaper for “lacking creativity” and was told that he could not make a legitimate career out of drawing cartoons. He was rejected over 300 times when he pitched his idea for a theme park, but he never gave up on his dreams.

Stephen King’s first novel was rejected by nearly thirty publishers before someone finally took a chance on him. It was actually his wife who encouraged him to try one last time, and the book went on to have over 1 million copies sold in just 12 months. It was then turned into a film, and King now has 65 published books.

When Marilyn Monroe was first starting out her career, she was rejected by numerous modeling agencies. She was told that she did not have the looks or talent and that she should consider becoming a secretary instead. Monroe went on to become a symbol of beauty in the public eye. She was also told that she lacked acting abilities before landing roles in 23 movies.

Successful people stand apart from the crowd because they don’t give up when things get hard. They pursue their goals passionately and when they face rejection, they view it as redirection. The next time you experience rejection, I challenge you to change the narrative in your mind from a negative thing and instead view it as a positive opportunity to try something new.

-Meghan Slaughter