Rejection Factory
Back in high school I was quite involved in band. From marching band, concert band, symphonic band, jazz band, pep band, and orchestra, I really did it all! When it came time for college I was laser-focused on one thing: getting into the University of Illinois and being in the Marching Illini, the nation's premier college marching band.
Only one small problem stood in my way and that was academics. I was no where near good enough as a student and the rejection letter that came from the university confirmed that. Dejected yet not fully surprised at that result, I learned that the local community college in the same town had a connection and pathway so that students could take classes and get involved with the University. I excitedly enrolled at the community college and set about auditioning for the Marching Illini drumline!
A series of onsite auditions later and...rejection. I did not make the cut. Incredible talent filled the roster and that did not include me. Yet on the backend of that came a wonderful opportunity: there was a B-Line for the drumline (think of it like minor league baseball). A few of us who didn't make the full cut would be this B-Line and do the gigs and performances the full drumline couldn't.
I spent that next year taking in everything I could learn like a sponge. I observed all the small details of the full band and practiced relentlessly. Oh and I also just happen to be having the time of my life wearing the band uniform and performing on the sideline of all the home football games!
The following spring it was time for auditions again and the year of hard work paid off as I became a member of the full drumline! I spent the next three years living such a wonderful dream of being a member of the Marching Illini and watching a lot of really bad college football teams play.
Rejection could have stopped me. I could have decided it wasn't worth the time and effort to push for what I wanted to achieve. Yet I ended up proving to myself that hurdles are put in front of you in life so that you find a way to overcome them.
领英推荐
Rejection 101
Despite earning my spot on the field with the band I never overcame the academic struggles that followed me and I never did fully make it into the University of Illinois as I ended up attending Eastern Illinois University to finish my undergraduate degree (a place I am forever thankful and grateful for).
I realize now how much mental health played a role in my hardships with sustaining good academic performance in those years. A reminder in there to be kind to yourself, listen inward for your voice (and to what aches), and to gain support and help from mental health professionals. I look back on that time in my life now and am so proud of what I accomplished. I lived my band nerd dream and earned my education. It wasn't exactly the plan I had thought I wanted but it was the path I needed.
All-American Corporate Reject
Since then and throughout my professional career I've encountered rejection on scales both small and large. If I were to quantify it I would say the technical term would be oodles. I like to think my musical past and determination prepared me for what I've experienced since then. Just know that...
While going through any of it can feel like you're a celebrity stuck in the mud at burning man, my hope is that you can see that any rejection you face is just the opinion of someone who doesn't really know you.
None of it takes away from you. It guides you as you continue finding your way through this beautiful and crazy thing called life. And if nothing else, always remember the adhesive for Post-It Notes started out as a rejected aerospace project and that turned out pretty well.
Talent developer & leader, passionate about developing people and delivering results.
1 年Too good not to share! Keep sprinkling KJ!
Passionate about life and all it has to offer. Known for my tenacity and focus on end results; and being agile to ever-changing challenges to uncover opportunities with the intent to reach a collaborative solution.
1 年Preach KJ - I hear you (been there and dealt with that) and I so appreciate your words of wisdom. I have laugh in the face of rejection, because my determination and drive is strong and it will propel me to where I need to be! Thank you
Learning and Organizational Development Professional
1 年well said
Sometimes certain.
1 年Without much doubt, I could publish a dissertation on this, but, for the sake of brevity - if you're following a path that fulfills your character, that satiates the natural drives you find yourself fueled by, and you're enthusiastic about growing yourself in - rejections are nothing more than abandoned gas stations you pass in the night on a road trip to a mountain peak you're chasing for sunset. Especially when looking in hindsight, I know myself, I tend to forget the way rejections made me feel - recognizing that they happened - but what I remember are the accomplishments and the way they not only made me feel, but how they positively affected those around me. Whether that was in my musical quests (not marching band, but a thrash metal band), my photography, my professional climb, or just friendships themselves - if we are moving authentically, looking back, the rejections were simply mitigating wasted time on the path to successes. As you mentioned, rejections, if framed as such, can simply be a tool of streamlining and efficiency for those on their authentic path.