Why I’m Happy Despite Getting Rejected by Multiple Publications

5 mindsets for new writers

I’ve been on Medium for a little over a month now and have 2 stories on my profile.

While I wish I could say I “chose” to only have 2 stories out, the reality is, oh I’ve been trying to get published but… my stories have either gotten no response or have received the infamous — and often dreaded editor reply,

“We’re gonna have to pass on this one.”

Rejection can be a bummer especially when you’ve poured hours of your hard work, time, and effort towards something. Surprisingly despite the countless rejections, I’ve remained pretty optimistic and these are the reasons why:

1. I Know and Accept What and Where I am

While there are those people who have been writing their whole lives that are now making a killing on Medium, I don’t come from that same background.

Sure I’ve written here and there, but nowhere near the level of some people on this platform. It’s this acceptance and self-awareness of my starting point, that softens the blow of my “not so amazing results”.

That fish that was flung from a lake to the gigantic sea that is Medium, who is now trying to learn how to swim? That’s me.

Now don’t confuse the following statements will low self-esteem. Contraire I pride in my abilities and am well aware of the things I do excel at.

But it does me no favors to assume that just because I’m great in other areas in my life that that will automatically reflect on here — at least not right away. While I believe in my potential, on this platform I can humbly say that I am a beginner and know that there’s a lot to learn.

2. Still Finding my Flow

How many hours am I willing to dedicate per week? Can I consistently pump out 3 stories a week or is 1–2 weekly more my speed? What time of the day am I a more effective writer?

These are just some of the questions I’ve been discovering the answers to alongside improving my writing skills.

I’m still trying to figure out how to incorporate Medium into my life. Just like a freshman adjusting to college, naturally, there will be that ‘period of adjustment’.

Sometimes we’re so impatient when it comes to getting the results that we want, that we forget the reality is that it takes time to incorporate change into our lives. Realizing that I am in the early stage of finding my flow has made me more compassionate towards where I am in my writing journey.

3. Shifting My Mindset to Thinking Long Term

Who doesn't want to immediately earn thousands of dollars in their first month writing online? Wouldn’t that be nice?

However, that’s just not how things work. Even if you do amazing in your first month or occasionally earn some impressive extra cash on Medium, you’re not going to create a consistent stream of income by just “winging it” or writing when you feel like it.

I’ll admit, learning that YouTuber Shelby Church earned $6,000 with one story got me on this platform. But as I’ve studied successful writers on Medium, many of them have been consistently posting for at least a year or so.

With that, I began thinking of my time on Medium as long term commitment. Doing so has made me care less about the dollar amount I want to receive per month and more focused on becoming a quality writer first.

The writers you admire had to grow into the writers they are today.

Now instead of getting frustrated looking at the hours put into Medium barely yielding any return, I see these hours as me putting in my ‘due diligence’. I have faith that once I’ve established stronger roots in first becoming a better writer, the rest will follow.

4. I Don’t Take The Rejections Personally

One of my biggest philosophies when it comes to the not-so-great things that happen in our lives is that we can either let these experiences make us better or bitter.

Feelings of disappointment, sadness or frustration upon getting rejected are normal and human. But what we do afterwards makes all the difference.

The way I see it is I could choose to be resentful and complain that Medium sucks or I could choose to learn from these rejections, separate my ego and objectively look at my work to see where I can improve as a writer.

I am very aware that most don’t succeed on this platform, but there is a percentage of people who do.

My mindset is, if other people were able to achieve the results that I want, then it’s more than possible for me too. It may take some time, but anything worth it won’t come easy.

Besides, a major plus I’ve discovered is the great sense of satisfaction that comes in creating a story you think ‘can’t get any better’, but then after working on it, you find that it puts your first version of it to shame!

Learn before you earn.

As much as I’d love for all my submissions to get accepted, I’ve learned to find happiness and pride in seeing my growth as a writer, which would’ve never happened had it not been for all these rejections.

5. Having a Deep Passion for Messages I’m Sharing

The second biggest drive that keeps me going is I genuinely believe in the value of the messages I want to share.

I may still be trying to figure out the voice I want to use to express these thoughts and how to package my messages, but whether editors see the value in my stories or not, what weighs more is that I believe in the impact that my stories can have on other people.

Sure the execution in sharing my messages is still being fine-tuned, but the passion behind what I feel the need to say makes going through this learning curve worth it.

Final Thoughts:

No matter how positive of a person you may be, no one enjoys getting rejected. It can be especially challenging to remain optimistic when your efforts are consistently being met with rejections.

However you still always have a choice in how you move forward. You can learn to enjoy the process of becoming what you aspire to be. You can learn to be compassionate towards your journey and see your rejections as the stepping stones needed to get to where you want to go.

“When a child learns to walk and falls down 50 times, he never thinks to himself: “Maybe this isn’t for me?”

As I continue writing on in my second month on Medium inevitably there’ll be more rejection to come I’m sure. But that’s okay and I welcome the challenge. I know that I’m just getting warmed up.