Rebounding from Rejection

Rejection can be devastating, but it doesn’t need to be. In life, there will be letdowns and rejection, sadly. Whether it be professional or interpersonal, it does not need to be devastating. I have the belief that not every opportunity is the right opportunity. This is true of romantic, social, and professional opportunities. Sometimes the current opportunity would block you from a bigger and better opportunity down the road. I have found that for my clients there has always been a better opportunity than the one they did not get. This can be true for you as well if you learn how to stay open after a rejection, which can be incredibly hard. I wish it was as easy as hearing this, but sadly it is not. It takes practice and preparation to be able to rebound from rejection, and today we are going to explore the steps in crafting a new perspective and understanding of opportunity and how to rebound from rejection.

When an opportunity presents itself, it is important to keep the opportunity in perspective. If it is the first of its kind, it can seem like a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but I promise you it is not. The first opportunity, whether it be a particular kind of person or position at a company, is simply one of many such opportunities. The first time an opportunity presents itself is an alert that you have arrived at a new set of circumstances and need to update where you are at in life. For example, if a particular type of person is now attracted to you, it is because of changes you have made. The same can be said of work and educational opportunities. As we grow, change, and evolve, so do our opportunities. Embrace that you are at a place where amazing and unexpected things are coming your way, and trust that they are not one-of-a-kind. A hard truth is that very little in life is one-of-a-kind.

Understanding and trusting that no opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will help keep any rejection in perspective. Another thing that can help is making a pros and cons list, because no opportunity is truly perfect. Every person and situation has negatives.Writing a pros and cons list will help you keep perspective as will having a plan. Make a plan for what you will do if the opportunity doesn’t pan out is empowering and shows that life goes on. If it is an interpersonal opportunity, will you keep doing what you are doing or switch things up? If it is a job or career opportunity, will you look for other such opportunities or try to improve your current situation? Knowing what your next step will be will limit how bad it feels. I think there is room to grieve a loss and suggest having a self-care night or weekend to allow yourself to grieve and then put your next steps plan into place. Having a plan will ensure that you can take steps to move forward and put the rejection behind you and heal.

Posted on Monday: 13 March, 2023