The Art of Bouncing Back: Learning from Rejection

Life is full of struggle and hardship. Here your chances of success increase with effort. But the fact is that even if you put forth a lot of effort, you might still fail or reject. Failure and rejection are unavoidable aspects of life. But where there is rejection there is always something to learn. 

“If you aren’t getting rejected, your goals aren’t ambitious enough”.  – Chris Dixon 

However, rejection is a part of our lives, whether we’ve experienced it or not. So, we must take lessons from rejection and apply those lessons to future endeavors.

The Journey to Learn from Rejection

There are many ways to prepare yourself for reaching goals in life. To bounce back in life is not so easy. Here, we’ll talk about the most popular but efficient approaches. The way can be as follows:

• Be slow and steady

There is a saying that, slow and steady wins the race. Always stay cool.

“Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity” – Bruce Lee 

The best results come from constant and effective efforts. Try to find out the gap and see how other people think when they are in the same situation. A stable mind makes your life happier to work for the future.

Suppose you are rejected from a job interview. Let’s answer one question: What will you do in this situation? What happens inside you? In general, you are thinking I am not suitable for this or that I can’t get this job. But you may have missed one vital point in bouncing back from this situation. You may forget that there are several opportunities available to you in the job field. Sometimes it can be a better job than the one you lost earlier or rejected.

• The mentality to embrace mistakes

To err is human. When you are rejected somewhere, try to accept your mistakes. In the future, it will open the window to several opportunities. When you accept and embrace your mistakes, you will be capable of overcoming the same situation in the future.

Each rejection presents a chance to analyze what went wrong. From this, we can understand what to improve for the future.

When you analyze the rejection reasons, it will open your eyes. You can easily understand the limitations and boundaries.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but rising every time we fall”  – Nelson Mandela 

On the other hand, the goal must be realistic. By any means, no need to consider your goal that does not fit you.

• Learning from Real Life

If you see the successful people around you, don’t think they get success every time. They’ve been unsuccessful and rejected most of the time. But they’ve been able to turn rejection into success.

“The best learning happens in real life with real problems and real people”. – Charles Handy 

We all heard about J.K. Rowling. She was a deprived, melancholy, divorced single mother who authored a book. It may seem unbelievable, yet several publishers rejected J.K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter. Not only J.K. Rowling but also so many successful people failed and were rejected (i.e., Sir James Dyson, Steven Spielberg, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, etc.) before they were familiar with their glorious success.

Listen to stories of individuals who have learned valuable lessons from adversity. Life is a never-ending series of little and big issues. It never comes to an end. As soon as you have control of one problem, another one arises.

• Overcoming fear of failure

Cultivate a growth mindset. You have to always believe that abilities and intelligence can be developed over time through dedication and hard work. Having this mentality makes one more resilient to setbacks. There is a saying,

“There is no illusion greater than fear”. – Lao Tzu

Suppose you want to be a businessman. What do you need first? The answer should be capital. But most of the time, most people are afraid to invest capital. Perhaps they think that if they fail in business, what will happen? What will people say?

Let me tell you about Mr. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, as an example. He launched an online company at an early age. People at the time considered his thinking insane, but he pursued his passion. He is currently one of the world’s greatest business magnates. So, don’t dwell on people’s comments all the time, and overcome the fear of failure in any situation. It will help you be successful in life.

• Innovation through rejection

Rejection enhances the ability to innovate. Rejection forces people to reevaluate their strategy and look for fresh viewpoints. It pushes people to investigate different approaches or points of view, encouraging creative thinking that they might not have previously thought about. All we know about Thomas Alva Edison, who invented the electric bulb. He said, “I have not failed. I have discovered ten thousand ineffective alternatives.”

Not every time you expect the desired result from your work. Your expectations must be modified according to what the situation demands. Stay flexible and prepared to adjust your goals and tactics. Sometimes you need to try multiple times to achieve your target. But remember, don’t change your destination or goal.

• Giving attention to the effort, not only the results

A vital component that enhances aptitudes, skills, and possibilities is effort. Although skill is helpful, perseverance is frequently the deciding factor in success and reaching long-term objectives.

Regardless of the outcome, consider the things you accomplished and the knowledge you gained along the way. Always focus and concentrate on your effort, not just the outcome. Efforts can inspire others, too. When people witness the dedication and hard work of others, it motivates and influences them positively, encouraging them to strive for their own goals.

• Feedback is the best way to learn

Emphasize the importance of learning from feedback received from different rejections. Instead of seeing rejection as the ultimate endpoint, consider it valuable feedback for improvement. Always think that this is not the end. Rectify your problems so that next time the same feedback is not coming to your account.

• Self-confidence is the key

Positive affirmations should take the place of negative thoughts. Concentrate on abilities and future success potential. It’s natural to feel upset, disappointed, or even angry after any kind of rejection. Instead of suppressing these feelings, acknowledge and accept them.

“Your success will be determined by your confidence and fortitude” – Michelle Obama

Always try to understand that it’s okay to feel this way. Avoid blaming yourself. Treat yourself with the same understanding and compassion that you would offer to a friend in a similar situation.

• Identify self-strength

Most of the time, we detect the weakness. Always think about how to overcome my weaknesses, as we have so many strengths to boost ourselves with.

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within”. - Maya Angelou 

So, remind yourself of your abilities, strengths, skills, and success. Note down the qualities that have helped you overcome challenges in the past. Always reveal your achievements, no matter how small they might seem.

• Coping Mechanisms

Try to understand coping strategies for handling rejection in both personal and professional contexts. Develop constructive coping strategies to handle stress when things are hard.

Nowadays, cultural or racial rejection has become a significant problem. People are often misjudged and rejected due to racism. What will you do if you face racial rejection? It can be a very upsetting situation for you, but you have to cope with it. You can participate in effective dialogue, increase community engagement, strive to understand other cultures and seek legal consultation if needed.

Whatever, become more adept at solving problems to get through difficult times. Your confidence will increase as a consequence of this.

• Building persistence

The ability to remain persistent is essential for success in life. Persistence is the ability to keep going for your objectives in the face of setbacks.

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in”.

Persistence is a crucial characteristic that distinguishes successful people from others who give up. A sustained, steady effort is frequently necessary for success. Staying dedicated to your objectives, breaking them down into more manageable steps and making steady progress toward them. These all things can be made possible by persistence. Always remember, true winners never give up until the very last day of their lives.

• Long-term Benefits

For personal development and success, we must understand the long-term benefits of taking lessons from rejection. So, don’t think of a short-term advantage all the time.

Finally, if you are rejected, accept it and get ready for the future. Don’t become disheartened about it, since the future holds a chance for you. So, take a lesson from the rejection and bounce back.