Icing the Sting of Rejection

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1820

Abstract

rhaps I’m not so evolved that being rejected doesn’t still sting. Quite the contrary, some days, I receive rejections and find myself curled up in the fetal position surrounded by comfort foods, just trying to muster up the strength to try again.Sans my marsupial-like go-tos, there are much healthier ways to cope. Here is a list of my top 3:<ul><li>Learn from it: There’s no such thing as losing when you learn. Being rejected gives you an opportunity to dissect your own content and process to refine it and move forward. This is especially true when you are given specific feedback. It may be difficult, but try to keep your feelings out of it and apply the feedback to your work as you progress. Of course, you will still experience rejection, but you are less likely to be rejected for the same reasons.</li><li>Focus on What Went Right: Once you have taken the time to review the negative aspects of your work, focus on the positive. If you’ve survived as a writer for months or years, there are likely plenty of things you’re good at. Make a list of those things and resolve to hone them so you become even more impactful and successful.</li><li>Get Back on the Horse: Lastly, it’s imperative to make sure you don’t let the spirit of rejection linger. Sure, you can take a day or two if the rejection was incredibly hurtful. However, you need only to allow yourself to wallow there for a specified period. So, for instance, if you’ve been pitching case studies to academic institutions and received a harsh rejection from your alma mater, you may allow yourself to lick your wounds longer than usual. Still, you should already be planning how to refine your pitch to resubmit it or send it to a different facility entirely.</li></ul><h2 id="cf0b">The Pain of Progress</h

Options

2>It sounds cliche, but the saying, “No pain, no gain,” especially applies to the writing realm. Despite natural talent and experience, there are always things we all can learn to become more talented, compelling writers.In fact, according to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201307/10-surprising-facts-about-rejection">Psychology Today</a>, rejection activates the same areas of the brain as physical pain, and experts assert that Tylenol may actually help treat pain caused by experiencing or recalling instances of rejection.So, if you find yourself holding your hand over your heart after an exceedingly hurtful experience with rejection, you are not imagining it, nor are you alone.The sting of rejection should serve as a kick in the pants to refine your process and keep pushing. Although there may be times in which the pain is too much to bear, it is often in those times that we experience some of the most significant breakthroughs of our careers.So, the next time you get rejected, acknowledge the pain, find the lesson, and do your best to make changes to prevent you from receiving the same type of feedback in the future.How do you handle rejection as a writer?To support my content, donate, purchase merch, follow socials, and keep up with my projects across the web, find me on <a href="https://linktr.ee/IvyLockeWrites">Linktree</a>!New to Medium? Follow me, and don’t forget to <a href="https://ivylockewrites.medium.com/subscribe">subscribe to my email list</a>! It’s also free! As always, all tips, donations, shares, hand claps, comments, follows, and subscriptions are greatly appreciated!</article></body>

Icing the Sting of Rejection

Here’s how I Ice my Rejection Wounds, and So Can You

As writers and creatives, one dirty word terrorizes us all: Rejection.

Indeed, no matter how talented you may be or how much experience you have, there is always someone ready and willing to slap a big rubber stamp all over your hard work.

As a borderline perfectionist, there’s almost nothing worse. There’s literally never a time where I take the time to write something and send it off thinking, “Boy, I sure hope they shred this to pieces and tell me to send it elsewhere. Yet, and still, it’s literally part of the process.

Not to get all self-righteous or anything, but I believe it was the legendary Michael Jordan who said,

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

So, as a highly ambitious writer, who am I to dodge the part of the process that has helped turn the likes of MJ into an icon?

It Still Stings

Nevertheless, perhaps I’m not so evolved that being rejected doesn’t still sting. Quite the contrary, some days, I receive rejections and find myself curled up in the fetal position surrounded by comfort foods, just trying to muster up the strength to try again.

Sans my marsupial-like go-tos, there are much healthier ways to cope. Here is a list of my top 3:

Learn from it: There’s no such thing as losing when you learn. Being rejected gives you an opportunity to dissect your own content and process to refine it and move forward. This is especially true when you are given specific feedback. It may be difficult, but try to keep your feelings out of it and apply the feedback to your work as you progress. Of course, you will still experience rejection, but you are less likely to be rejected for the same reasons.
Focus on What Went Right: Once you have taken the time to review the negative aspects of your work, focus on the positive. If you’ve survived as a writer for months or years, there are likely plenty of things you’re good at. Make a list of those things and resolve to hone them so you become even more impactful and successful.
Get Back on the Horse: Lastly, it’s imperative to make sure you don’t let the spirit of rejection linger. Sure, you can take a day or two if the rejection was incredibly hurtful. However, you need only to allow yourself to wallow there for a specified period. So, for instance, if you’ve been pitching case studies to academic institutions and received a harsh rejection from your alma mater, you may allow yourself to lick your wounds longer than usual. Still, you should already be planning how to refine your pitch to resubmit it or send it to a different facility entirely.

The Pain of Progress

It sounds cliche, but the saying, “No pain, no gain,” especially applies to the writing realm. Despite natural talent and experience, there are always things we all can learn to become more talented, compelling writers.

In fact, according to Psychology Today, rejection activates the same areas of the brain as physical pain, and experts assert that Tylenol may actually help treat pain caused by experiencing or recalling instances of rejection.

So, if you find yourself holding your hand over your heart after an exceedingly hurtful experience with rejection, you are not imagining it, nor are you alone.

The sting of rejection should serve as a kick in the pants to refine your process and keep pushing. Although there may be times in which the pain is too much to bear, it is often in those times that we experience some of the most significant breakthroughs of our careers.

So, the next time you get rejected, acknowledge the pain, find the lesson, and do your best to make changes to prevent you from receiving the same type of feedback in the future.

How do you handle rejection as a writer?

To support my content, donate, purchase merch, follow socials, and keep up with my projects across the web, find me on Linktree!

New to Medium? Follow me, and don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! It’s also free! As always, all tips, donations, shares, hand claps, comments, follows, and subscriptions are greatly appreciated!