015 | DEALING WITH REJECTION
FAILURE IS NOT FATAL. KEEP GOING.
The basic fear of rejection can stop many people dead in their tracks. When you have big goals, you are forced to change and step outside of your comfort zone to grow into the person that can achieve them. To be successful in any area of life, you have to be willing and even enthusiastic about putting yourself out there. This can be scary and uncomfortable because we rely on other people’s opinions so much in our society - coaches, teachers, parents, friends, etc.
Yes, other people’s opinions often do matter in life, but we should not let them dictate the way we move through it. I recently watched Colin Kaepernick’s fictionalized drama series on Netflix titled - Colin in Black & White, which told the story of his formative years and how his experiences shaped him to become the powerful person he is now. In the final scene, Colin is shown writing a letter to his younger self on how to deal with the challenges that will come his way. Here is a paraphrase of that monologue:
Dear Colin, trust your power. Even when you don’t see it, believe it because you’re going to need it. From your earliest days, rejection will follow you and it will be there through every step of your journey. It will come from people who love you. It will come from people who don’t think you belong… But rejection is not failure. It’s a calibrator. It can help you learn who you are and what you want, and there’s something you want more than anything… Your path will sometimes be rough, but trust your power. When you face rejection and feel like you want to quit, trust your power. And when you see that you’re rarely anyone’s first choice, trust your power. And when they say you’re not their first choice, you’ll show them that you were the right choice.
This excerpt could be the whole blog post by itself. Rejection is a calibrator. Facing rejection is necessary to determine our next correct course of action. Either we learn what we must do to improve ourselves so we are prepared for the next opportunity that comes our way, or we learn that we are actually doing all the right things and we just need patience and consistency to see it through.
Rejection can either make you or break you, just don’t let it break you.