Wellness Corner 35: Tackling Rejection
Hey Falcons,
Last week, I talked about the power of the word “no,” in a positive context. There are, however, many times when that same word can sting. I’m of course talking about rejection.
It’s important for us to grow comfortable with and healthily deal with rejection as young as possible. Here are some things you can do to grow mentally strong in the face of rejection.
Let go of thinking it’s all over. Failure is a bump in a long road. There will always be more opportunities in front of us!
Have faith in yourself. We must cultivate the self-confidence and open-mindedness to realize we were meant for something better.
Stop taking yourself too seriously. If you’re like me, you want the best for yourself and will push yourself until you reach that height of “greatness.” But acknowledging our ability to fail is key. The minute you get over your perceived greatness is when you’ll see that you are just another human being trying to get by like the other 7.1 billion of us. Stop caring about what others will think, and live your life the way you want. The first step to growth is acceptance of your flaws. The second is improving based on this, while identifying your strengths.
Use rejection as a learning experience — that is, have a growth mindset. No one ever achieved anything in life without making mistakes along the way. After you complete #4 and acknowledge your humanity and weaknesses, work to make these weaknesses your strengths. I think rejection is more important than success because it allows you to reevaluate and adjust, and move forward.
Radhika Gupta, a Wharton grad who heads one of India’s most prominent mutual fund companies, wrote in her book Limitless (highly recommended!): “if there aren’t times when you hear a “no”, if there aren’t days when you feel frustrated, if you don’t feel pushed against the wall, then you are not aiming high enough.” Listen to her speech here if you need a pickup. She has a pretty incredible story.
What differentiates us from others is how we cope with this rejection and exhaustion. If we utilize it to our benefit, we can reach new heights. Let’s take rejection head-on, with a growth mindset!
