How do you handle rejection? Do you handle it constructively and strategically or do you let your emotions get the best of you? Chances are it’s the latter. Most people fear failure, criticism and rejection. It’s only normal. But some will actually use it to their advantage.
The lesson every entrepreneur needs to learn is that rejection never goes away. It doesn’t matter who you are, just ask Steve Jobs – you will get rejected. The secret is to use the rejection to help motivate you to reach your business goals. How? Read on.
1. Rejection makes you tougher
The more you get rejected, the tougher you will become. It may sound strange, but the best way to learn how to deal with rejection is to get rejected. People don’t grow stronger when everything is working for them. They grow stronger when they are forced to cope with the unexpected. Over time you’ll see that rejection doesn’t hurt so much and the effect it once had on you decreases. Once you overcome that, you’ll see rejection for what it really is- an amazing opportunity to learn.
2. Rejection can fuel your success
Using rejection to motivate you to prove people wrong can give you a powerful nudge to build your company. It helps give you the power to burst through any negativity and obstacles and that, in turn, is what makes you a winner!
3. Rejection is a learning curve
One of the best things about rejection is that it can help you get better. Learn why you were rejected, fix your mistakes and develop a new, more effective game plan. Sometimes you might get rejected for irrelevant reasons, like a personality clash, and if that’s the case, just brush yourself off and move on. However sometimes you can learn from it.
At the end of the day, the more often you put yourself out there, the better your odds of achieving what you want. Even though rejection may be hard to handle at first, you’ll learn how to handle it and turn it into success in time, and ultimately, the most important thing is you will never wonder “what if?”
After all, if Oprah can get rejected for being “unfit for TV” and still go on to become the most successful TV chat show host of all time, then there’s hope for the rest of us.
Your takeaway: 7 of the most successful rejects
For sure, Oprah is not the only one. There are numerous famous rejects who beat all odds and be successful. eCardShack.com published an infographic that features the elite group of successful rejects:
So, who’s your favorite successful reject? Please share your thoughts with us.
