The reaction to this was quite equal to outright rejection – the sort of acute pain and sudden sense of crestfallen-ness because you felt that this degree is an essential part of your vocation and path forward. I have a few questions (4 altogether) regarding another form of rejection, notably wait-lists.

Rejection is part of the path to success for those who achieve outstanding leadership, so drawing lessons is key to avoid having too much of this precious learning though 😉 Thank you for this lovely post, Keneisha. What do you do when you face rejection?įiled Under: Admissions Reader Interactions Whew! After writing this post, I feel like picking up some (baked) chicken, reading Oh The Places You’ll Go, and crying a little with Oprah and her teary guests. Then get back to trying, failing, re-trying, succeeding, and climbing the mountain to the summit of awesomeness that is your life. Take an hour, afternoon, day, or whole week to feel really sorry for yourself. For the things you want to do the same, write them down so that you can remind yourself again that you are amazing and so that you can be sure to not leave any already-awesome part of your strategy out the next time around. Reach out to those people for advice and guidance (or if they’re ridicu-famous like Oprah or no longer with us like Martin Luther King, Jr. For the things that you want to do differently, think of or find 3 people who are doing it the way you want to. Figure out what you want to do differently next time and what you want to keep the same. You went for it! And your story is just beginning. The next time you face rejection, I want you to do the following five things (in any order that you’d like): 1. If you find yourself facing rejection, I want you to remember that you are in good company– amazing company–and that if you persist in pursuing your goals, you will reach them one day and then amaze even yourself as you exceed your own wildest expectations for your life. Seuss are just 3 examples of the hundreds of fabulously rich and famous people that have received the ugly red “REJECTED” stamp on their efforts. That many rejections would make anyone want to start speaking in rhyme!Ĭolonel Sanders, Oprah, and Dr. Seuss’ intriguing rhyming stories, but his first book was rejected by not 1, not 2, not 3 or 26, but TWENTY-SEVEN different publishers. I bet that person is kicking him or herself now…

In her early career, Oprah (yes, THE Oprah Winfrey) was fired from her job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for tv”.Did you know that Harland David Sanders (“Colonel Sanders”, founder of the infamous Kentucky Fried Chicken empire) struggled to sell his chicken when he was first starting out? His recipe was rejected over ONE THOUSAND times before a restaurant finally accepted it.I know you’ve heard it before, but some seriously accomplished and influential people faced tremendous amounts of rejection before they finally got to the “YES” spot. You have not only taken the first step but you threw your arms open, exclaimed “Here I am! I have something to share!” and stood tall and uncovered as the subsequent feedback rained down upon you (or trickled in excruciatingly slowly). Most people do not even take the first step toward achieving their dreams out of fear of rejection.

Fried chicken drawing thumbs up drawing