Dealing With Rejection

Have you ever had times when you were so passionate about something so you share it to the world, only to get rejected? You probably have. I know I have. Heck, this whole journey is about my response to a rejection. I know it's difficult to separate the emotions and self-doubt that comes with rejection. But doing so is essential to progress.

In one of the podcasts I've seen, Seth Godin tells about how he was rejected over 800 times to publish one book. People literally took the effort to write a stamped letter and mail it, just to notify him of the rejection. His writing is his passion, and perhaps his book, his baby. So how does he separate himself from the rejection, and get things done?

He gave an illustration on eighteen locks. Each lock has it's own key and if the locksmith is unable to open one with the first key, then he tries again with the next key. It doesn't make the locksmith feel bad whenever a key fails to open a lock. This is something I guess we can keep in mind.

He also explained the importance of being internally committed to ship your work, even in the midst of negative feedback. Consistency is key. As long as you commit yourself to a deadline, there's no need to worry about what other people would think.

I've been looking for a position as a NetSuite Administrator for a company, and have been rejected five times already. I'm actually expecting a lot more rejections before I land the job. But I do have an internal commitment of having two active applications at a time. At least one interview every week is my goal. As I continue consistency with this goal, I know I'll eventually land the job.

You can watch the entire podcast here.