How to Handle Rejection

This contributor post was written by Tiffany Moore.

Lets face it: rejection sucks.

No matter how you slice it, getting turned down never feels good. While the adage, “Never take it personally” is good advice, its never quite that easy to walk away unscathed.

Here are a few tips on how to handle rejection the next time it comes up in your life.

1. Consider the Source

Is the rejection coming from someone whose opinion you value? If not, dont give it another thought!

2. Find the Truth

Instead of just writing the rejection off as someone being mean or wrong, ask yourself if theres any truth behind the rejection. Did you submit photos to a magazine but then got feedback that they werent in the right style?

The feedback you receive with a rejection from a trusted source can often be the most valuable feedback youll ever receive. If you dont receive feedback, ASK FOR IT. Feedback (from the right person) is one of the most worthwhile tools youll ever have in your business.

3. Be Sad”¦But then move on

Rejection is no fun. Ever. Unless you get comfortable with the discomfort it presents.

Sure, it doesnt feel good. Sure, it feels personal. Sure, you wish you could please everyone. Youre not alone in these feelings. The key is to not let them stand in your way as you try to advance your business and your life. It’s okay to feel bad. For a little while, not forever.

4. Learn, Improve, and Try Again

This is the most important step of them all: figure out what you can learn from the rejection. Maybe you need to write a stronger pitch letter, maybe you need to get some help with your photographs, maybe that one blogger you reached out too is not the right person to write about your work.

Whatever the reason is, don’t forget to apply what you’ve learned, and then keep moving forward.

Once youre able to deal with the emotions behind the rejection, youll be able to move beyond the fear of it. It’s time to say hello to new opportunities and goodbye to your fear holding you back.

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*image Life is a Beautiful Struggle (found via Kelly Beall)

Tiffany Moore, CPCC is a life & business coach (searching for her own rejection letters) for highly-creative people who arent living the highly-creative lives they want. Just yet. With provocative questions & hard-edged encouragement, Tiffany helps skittish someday-ers become fiercely focused creators “” and proves that dreams do come true. But only when you demand it.