At one point in time, almost all of us have faced some sort of rejection.

Whether it was from a school, a company, family, friends, coworkers, or a promotion that you didn’t receive, rejection hurts. However, rejection has a way of teaching and redirecting us to things, people, places, and opportunities that are sometimes better than originally expected.

“Rejection is protection for something greater that is to come”

Rejections means taking risks. Risks help us to understand more about who we are and where we want to go. More so, risks help us develop the skills to deal with the inevitable adversity life brings.

Resilience. Strength. Perseverance. Determination. Integrity.

Find the lesson in the situation.

Turn adversity into self-growth and self-exploration.

“You are so much stronger than you think”

According to MRI studies, emotional pain triggers the same pathways in the brain caused by physical pain. This may be why we personalize with the pain of rejection – amplifying and prolonging the sensation.

Rather than identifying with the rejection, or the pain, it can be beneficial to separate what happened to you from who you know that you are.

A helpful way of doing this is by talking to yourself like you would a friend. If your friend got rejected, would you tell them that they were unworthy or undeserving? Probably not. Then why do we talk to ourselves in that way?

Believe in yourself.

Sometimes something good has to be subtracted from our lives before something better can take its place – Ann Spangler

It’s an amazing feeling when someone immediately gets who you are and what you have to offer.

Why spend time on those that don’t, trying to convince them, when there’s someone else who is ready to receive?

I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat – Sylvester Stallone

Sometimes rejection is just one person’s opinion.

Get a second opinion.

It might have been bad timing – try again.

Or, try again in different ways.

Maybe it was due to lack of knowledge – do more research. Interpret the rejection as an opportunity to learn. Ask questions to uncover as much as you can behind the rejection.

A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success – Bo Bennett

Remember, the most successful people got rejected and failed before they succeeded.

Your time is next – trust the process.