Rejection at work. Are you handling it correctly?

Rejection is a way of life. We have probably already gone through it multiple times. Be it a job application, or an appraisal, or a love interest or more...

Whichever kind of rejection it has been, dealing with rejection in unhealthy ways can be disastrous for personal health and can even lead to depleting health conditions.

This is how most of us look at rejection:

1. Oh! That’s not fair! I didn’t have a clear brief from him.
2. They expect too much at such a lower price.
3. There is so much favoritism here, I cannot survive here.
4. I gave more than my share of work to the company and look at how they treated me.
5. The boss doesn’t like me.

Hold it right there! And just wipe out all of the above and rewrite the following:

1. I am wondering where things went wrong. Let me go over the brief again and cross-check (Chances are, you will find the gaps and work on them).    
2. Next time, I am going to lay down the expectations straight and clear.
3. Let me take a moment and process it factually.
4. Let me find out why the boss seems to favour the other person more. Let me work on my improvement areas. (Or…Let me speak with boss and find out my improvement areas from his perspective).
5. I will continue to work on my overall development and this is just one such opportunity.

What we did in the second set is ‘reframing’ and finding out the ‘reality’, accepting it and trying to improve it.

Reframing is a technique we use to alter our thoughts in positive direction. If you want to reframe the thoughts troubling you, turn them into something positive by finding a new meaning or purpose.

Rejection whether in business or not, hurts. If we don’t let it affect us personally or impact our self-love, then we have trumped the hurt associated with rejection.

For me personally, rejections have been process of reality check and has immensely helped me discover more about my own SWOT. It has indeed made me who I am!

How have you handled rejection in business or at work? Share in comments.