BYBF: How to Never Let Rejection Bother You Again
Sit up and rethink about how you currently live life
Hey you!
Welcome to Be Your Best Friend with Anangsha: the Sunday newsletter that doesn’t let rejection bother it (at least not too much).
Let’s be honest for a while, rejection is NEVER easy to deal with.
Especially you are someone trying to establish your art or grow your business, taking to rejection to the heart can be crippling for your work.
The fear of rejection is so bad, it stops us from trying out new avenues because there is always a voice inside our head going, “What if you fail?”
Effectively, there are three basic responses to rejection:
“I suck. I can’t do this. I give up.”
“They are stupid. I’m going to keep pushing forward.”
“Hmm, what can I do differently? What can I learn from this rejection?”
The first step towards making peace with rejection is to realise that you need to improve. Then, you need to figure out what was it that you were doing wrong and what can you do to not make the same mistake. Take a hard look at your product, and take a step back to brainstorm about ten things you can do to improve what you are already doing.
This is not going to be an easy list to make, but, it will probably be one of the most important things you do on this journey of self-realisation.
In other words, change up, don’t give up.
Here are some ways you can change up:
Expand the universe of decision-makers. If you truly believe that your project is already the best version of itself, instead of relying on only a few people to make or break your fate, you should directly sell it to the ultimate consumers (say, self-publish your book).
Improve your approach. If nobody is responding to your emails, offer them some value. Give out something for free so the people you want to reach out to see the value in your approach. Find a different way to get your story across.
Improve your authenticity. Be honest in your approach. Show your audience what unique values they would get when they choose your project. Build your own presence online by establishing yourself on a social media platform.
Ask for advice. When you can’t understand the reason why your project was rejected, ask the person in charge. It never hurts to learn your shortcomings. When someone tells you what you need to improve up front, you will never forget what they said.
Stay in touch. Don’t let your ego get in the way and burn brides with the people who rejected you.
Failure gives you an opportunity to discover more. It opens up possibilities to develop an understanding about yourself: who you are, how you react to rejection, and what can you do about it. Of course, not every failure is an opportunity. But you have to figure it out. Figure out how to get past it, how to convert it into an opportunity to grow. In James Altucher’s words-
Diversification is everything. You get past “this” by having lots of “that”s.
In a world full of people hell-bent on outrunning each other, you cannot let others define “success” or “happiness” for you. You have to choose yourself, because, if you don’t, no one else will.
That’s all I have to say today. When was the last time you were rejected by someone and how did you decide to move on? Please reply to this email to let me know.
Thanks for reading and sticking with me. You are awesome. I’ll see you again next Sunday.
Lots of love,
Anangsha