Dealing with Rejection
If we’re being completely honest, rejection is always a tough card to be dealt. No one enjoys being turned down, turned out or turned away. The fear of rejection runs deep in all of us. We tend to be deeply conditioned by our earliest and mostly forgotten childhood encounters with rejection and the experience often leaves a lasting mark on our attitudes. Lingering memories of the pain of being abandoned or refused or ignored can shape our willingness to be vulnerable in relationships, limiting our willingness to be completely open even with our closest intimates. We take fewer risks even when the odds are in our favour. We diminish our own potential to experience fulfilment. No wonder that the end of a relationship can feel so devastating.
As we approach adulthood, we find it easier to avoid situations where the risk of rejection might open old wounds and reveal deep emotional scars. Yet, if we want to embrace life and experience its richness, it’s much healthier to accept that rejection will always form an inevitable part of life’s experiences. Preparing ourselves for the possibility is a positive way of developing a stronger array of responses. The fact is that we will all face rejection but we can learn to understand the situation with clarity, calm and a more reasoned approach that will ease most of the discomfort and stress.
It’s useful to ask ourselves if the rejection is personal or whether it’s just the result of circumstances. Could you have done anything differently? Here is the invitation to learn, to grow and develop. This is the invitation to accept full responsibility for your life and for all the events you face. It represents a subtle shift from feeling like a helpless victim to adopting the power of the volunteer who fashions their future without fear. Even the sting of rejection holds within its bite the promise of empowerment – as long as you’re willing to accept your power as the driving force that shapes your destiny. You’re still breathing, still alive and able to choose your thoughts, feelings and actions. Rejection is just a small pebble along life’s pathway. Never let it stop you, hinder you or block your progress. Your goals are far more worthy of your time and energy.?
领英推荐
?