Success comes with its failures, but it is often those failures that propel success. Everyone will experience rejection in their life: perhaps rejection from your dream college, rejection from the perfect job or rejection from a loan for a new house or car. We have all been there or we will all be there at some point; rejection is unavoidable.
When it comes to failure and rejection, there are two important concepts you must know and remember:
Do not allow failure to hold you back
Know how to use failure to reach success
Michael Jordan said it best: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six time, 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.”
Michael Jordan did not allow failure to stop him from taking the shot and he knew how to use his failures to make him better.
Here are 5 ways to benefit from your failures:
UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE FEELING REJECTED
Not everyone reacts to rejection the same way. In fact, something that you feel is a rejection may not automatically be a rejection to someone else. Knowing why you feel rejected is important.
Are you purely upset that you did not get the job? Secure an investor? Get accepted into that school?
Or are you feeling rejected because you feel as though you are letting someone else down?
These are important distinctions to make and will help you best prepare to move forward and develop a new strategy.
USE IT AS AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Failure is the result of an attempt. One of the best ways to use failure is to analyze your attempt. What did you do wrong? What did you do right? What can be fixed, changed or added?
Failure does not usually show you how to do something, but it will certainly show you how not to do something. Take time to reflect and come up with an improved strategy!
Acquire the right new skills
Okay so now you have a better understanding of why you are feeling rejected and exactly why you were rejected. The next step is of course to develop a new plan of attack – how are you going to improve?
Often times this requires learning a new skill. There are so many ways you can do this. Free resources online such as YouTube, SkillShare or Udemy offer free or discounted courses that can improve your skill set.
Another great option is to get a mentor! Talk to someone who has already done, or perhaps is currently doing, the thing you want to accomplish. Learn what worked for them or see if they would be willing to train you. Learning a new skill on your own is great, but getting actual experience and building your network offers advantages of their own.
Want to gain some work experience while you prepare for your next big career move? Contact Stand-By Personnel, a Tulsa staffing agency, to see how we can help you!
KNOW WHEN TO STOP
Knowing when to stop trying is not the same as quitting. Not every opportunity is exactly what you may think it to be and sometimes the only way to realize that is through rejection. Knowing when to stop comes with experience, but communicating these tough decisions with family or friends can you help get a new perspective and see that perhaps you are only chasing a dead end.
USE IT AS MOTIVATION
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of rejection and failure is using it as motivation to get better. Knowing what failure feels like can make you push yourself farther, study harder, or build better.
Failure can be disastrous for some people so it is imperative that you channel those negative emotions towards a positive end!