Is that “awesome” I’m feeling?: A Response to Gary Vaynerchuk’s, “Getting Rejected Is Awesome. Trust Me.”
This was a great piece.
After experiencing rejection, the most recent wound to my ego only a few weeks old, I tend to oscillate between the exasperation of “thanks, but no thanks,” or “you are good, but just not good enough” and a motivated “I’ll show them.”
So, where do I go from here?
I think Vaynerchuck’s post gives some great advice:
Make it a point to prove people wrong. Get excited about showing people how right you are. Dealing with rejection means facing it head on, proving it’s not true, then on to the next one.
Step 1: Choose “prove ’em wrong -with class, grace, and style- and move on to the next opportunity.”
Clearly the most authentic, good karma-inspiring plan for action — seasoned, of course, with just a bit of moxie. And while you work to highlight your strengths, someone savvy is bound to notice. That next opportunity, the one you would have missed if this one had gone your way, might be the big one. And if that isn’t incentive enough…
…it feels so good to show people you were right, and I would hate for you all to miss out on that.
Step 2: Bounce back…quickly. You are no less awesome today than you were before this setback. Don’t shut down because it’s unpleasant or uncomfortable. As Elizabeth Gilbert says, that’s where the “Big Magic” is.
When I’m at my lowest, I find myself thinking, “I’m done.” My convoluted logic tells me that if I don’t put myself out there I won’t be left rejected or disappointed, questioning whether I really am an impostor and someone is finally on to me. (Ahhh! I’ve been made!)
It’s remarkably easy to get there when I muster up all of my courage to reach for the stars — when I really believe that it’s going to happen . . . and I’m excited, time and time again, only to be smacked down into “my place.”
The problem…
That isn’t me. I don’t think it is possible for me to stop reaching. Besides… I hear a good kick in the teeth is good for you once in awhile! (But, seriously, I’m good for awhile…).
In the end…
Rejection is NOT AWESOME.
It SUCKS.
BUT… it is essential for building resilience, finding the right path, becoming a champion, and chasing dreams…and that sounds like success to me.
I think I feel better now.
In case you were wondering . . . I didn’t have to find that next opportunity. It found me.
Wish me luck!
