Rejection happens to all of us. People receive rejections daily, but why don’t we discuss it? When I scroll through social media, I see posts about people’s career successes and happy relationships — but none about their job rejections, or the dates that didn’t work out.
At first glance, the lack of talk about rejection makes sense. Why would you want to share your rejections with the rest of the world — especially on social media, where people outside your immediate circle can see them?
Rejection can feel embarrassing and uncomfortable. People may have even told us not to share our rejections where everyone can see them. But that doesn’t take away the positives of openly talking about your rejection.
I recently learned how impactful sharing “rejection stories” can be. A few months ago, a children’s book publisher asked me to write a book about disability and inclusion. As a disability advocate who believes in teaching kids to include everyone, I jumped at the chance. This felt like one of the biggest moments of my writing career, and I didn’t want to waste it.
I wrote the children’s book and made sure that it was my best work. As I played the waiting game, I hoped for the best. My friends and family shared my excitement and believed in me as much as I believed in myself.
However, that didn’t happen. My publisher told me they chose not to publish my book. I felt completely defeated — more than I ever had before.
I’ve dealt with rejection before, but this rejection felt different. This opportunity excited me so much, and it could have boosted my writing career even further. That’s why this particular “no” hurt so much.
But I didn’t wallow for too long. Instead, I posted about my rejection on social media.
Soon, people started responding to my post, telling me that I’d receive even better opportunities in the future and sharing how they felt about rejection, too. I realized that even though we don’t talk about it much, rejection happens all the time, and it happens to everyone.
When you get rejected from a dream school, a life-changing job, or a relationship you care about, you may question whether you have what it takes to reach your goals. You might want to reach out for support but feel uncomfortable sharing what you faced. However, the truth is that everyone can relate. We’ve all had others reject us, and we know that it’ll happen throughout our lives.
So if you need a little extra support with your recent rejection, be brave and share your feelings about your experience on social media. The more that we all discuss rejection, the less shameful it’ll feel. The next time you face rejection, remember that you’re still talented, capable, and worthy of your dreams — and that sharing about your rejection can take away some of the hurt that you may feel.
Featured Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash.
Thank you for sharing the importance of discussing uncomfortable emotions. I try and do this on my blog. We should all do more of it.
This shift in perspective can be immensely liberating, allowing individuals to bounce back stronger from rejection and pursue their goals with renewed determination.