Photo by Patrícia Canastreiro.
We start dealing with rejection at a very early stage in our lives. But this doesn’t mean that we learn how to deal with it. When you are younger, the proportions seem bigger when you are being rejected because everything is a big drama and feels like the end of the world. As we grow older and start getting responsibilities, chores and being accountable for others, rejection takes a new form. It can come as a rejection letter from a university, an email saying you are not a suitable candidate, someone you love not returning back your love. The way we face rejection says a lot about our personality and, as of lately, I have had to deal with a lot of that and juggle my feelings and capabilities in order to surpass what’s been going on. Ever since I started applying for jobs in New York, it’s been a roller coaster. Most of my outcomes have been negative and very few positive. It’s not something I can control and one day or another, I let my feelings get the best of me. It’s not always easy to keep them at a steady level and, when it comes to rejection, I feel I’ve gotten my share of it, but it never seems to stop. It’s important to remind yourself to not question your abilities and qualifications, your personality or way of being. I do, more often than not, and it gets me nowhere. Finding a job in America – for me – requires a visa, a sponsorship, and that takes time and money – I get that. But having to learn that there is always another suitable candidate out there makes me want to curl up and lie in bed all day. Long gone are the days when my rejection was at a relationship level, wanting someone that doesn’t want you back. Maybe those are harder because you don’t think you are good enough or why doesn’t that person want to be with you? My secret is to not ever over think it, don’t get your expectations up so you don’t get disappointed and, as long as you feel and know you are doing everything you can, you have to believe that something good will come your way. Otherwise, what’s the point?