My original plan this week was to write an article all about my upcoming plans for post graduation. I was going to talk about the new role I was accepted into, the amazing experiences I was hoping to get and how excited I was that I finally felt like I knew what I was doing—well, at least for the next year of my life. Instead, this week I was hit with a bit of a curve ball when I received my letter of rejection. The future I saw for myself suddenly felt like it was crumbling to pieces and I couldn’t help but feel like a failure. Opening the email made me freeze on my walk home. I don’t know why it stung so much; it wasn’t like this was my lifelong dream, but for the last month I had convinced myself that this was going to be my next year, so finding out plans were changing was difficult. I sat down, cried a bit and really let myself feel my emotions.
I feel like around this time we hear so many great stories from friends and others around us about their future plans, the new job they just got, the school they finally got accepted into, but we never hear about people getting rejected. Which is fine, because not many people want to boast about their rejection, but it makes us forget that despite the stories we hear about them, they are still happening! Not everyone gets accepted into everything they apply for and that needs to be more normalized.
It’s okay to be upset, angry, confused or however you may feel. I could go on and on about how important it is to take the time you need to recover, but instead I’m going to turn the conversation around and talk about why rejection could actually be a good thing for you.
I truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Now for any critics, don’t go around stretching that and using it to make excuses for people treating you poorly, being lazy, not working for what you want and so on. What I mean by this is that when something doesn’t go as planned, don’t put the blame on yourself. Use it as a sign that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be and something bigger is in store for you, just you wait.
The morning before I learned I did not get accepted, I had received an email from The Daily Good that said “In time, I’ve learned that rejection can be the most meaningful form of redirection.” Once I found out I didn’t get the position I knew it was a sign from the universe. Out of all the days I receive this daily newsletter, it just happened to be about rejection the day I got rejected? Call it a coincidence but I know in my heart it was exactly what I needed to hear.
“Rejection can be the most meaningful form of redirection.” Let that sit with you for a second. Like I said, being upset and letting yourself be sad is crucial for healing, but there comes a time when you need to accept the outcome and carry on. Remind yourself that one closed door leads you to be open to many other opportunities. No matter what, you will always learn from your experiences and they will guide you to where you’re meant to be. Have trust that you are on the right path.