Unique Rejections and Personal Growth
Rejection Beyond the Norm
I want to talk about something I think is unique to my situation. I don’t believe a lot of people experience this in the same way. Rejection is one thing, right? But rejection after putting your heart, soul, and authentic self into something is far worse. That’s a type of rejection that people feel when they break up with a girlfriend after a long relationship. You’ve put your heart into it, shared your secrets, your vulnerabilities, everything, and then they break up with you. I think this is the worst kind of breakup or failure because you’re not just putting a small part of yourself out there; you’re putting all of yourself out there.
The Painful Yet Educational Aspect of Rejection
Sometimes these rejections are good for you because they force you to drop your ego. Especially when what you’re putting out is your real, full, authentic self, it teaches you to refine your craft. The feedback you receive is very powerful if you are actually able to take it in. But as mentioned, part of being able to take that in is having no ego, which is quite challenging when what’s being analyzed is you as a whole, not just a section or portrayal of you.
Connecting Personal and Professional Rejection
The point of everything I’ve been saying is to connect that idea to the kind of rejection I’m currently facing when reaching out to accelerators and founders about who I am and what I can offer them. I think having the ability to remain persistent despite all these rejections is good training in general. I know that everything I’m facing right now is growing my ability to handle failure and take it in a way where I can grow from it, not in a way where I will ruminate and waste time on it.
Overcoming Burnout and Demotivation
For example, burnout is something I face every now and then because of all these demotivating failures, whether it’s YouTube videos not blowing up or rejections from companies where I believe I am a perfect candidate. I like to believe that all of these experiences help me grow as a person, as I mentioned, for the reasons above.