On Rejection

Rejection sucks.

It doesn't matter how kind or thoughtful it is, it still feels like a kick to the gut.

The sad part is that rejection is a part of life. 

You might be rejected from a job you really wanted (or one you didn't, but needed), you might be rejected from a romantic partner, or, if you're in the creative business, your writing, painting, or film might be rejected.

It hurts. We all know that. So how do we deal with it?

My mother always used to say, "There's only one direction you can go in life: forward. You can never go back."

I've had dozens of rejections. I'm never going to wake up one morning like, "Yes! Another rejection!" but it does get easier to handle. I know that I'm more resilient for it - and I'm certainly not going to let it stop me. I know that rejection does NOT define me.

Let's look at some famous rejections, shall we?

The original screenplay for Star Wars was rejected by multiple Hollywood film studios because it was "too difficult to understand". The Star Wars brand is now estimated at $42 BILLION and is known around the world.

Walt Disney was fired from Kansas City Star in 1919 because they said he "lacked imagination" and "had no good ideas". The Disney company has a net worth of $92 billion US dollars. I bet you can't find a person on this planet that doesn't know about Disney!


Stephen King's first novel, Carrie, received 30 rejections. Mr. King threw it in the trash, but his wife convinced him to keep going with it. He's now one of the best-selling novelists of all time, and his stories scare me like nothing else.

Harry Potter was rejected 12 times and J.K Rowling was told "not to quit her day job". J.K Rowling is now a BILLIONAIRE. (Can you believe she was once a single mother on welfare before she sold her novels?)

Dune by Frank Herbert was rejected 23 times before publication. It's sold more than 12 million copies and is one of the most celebrated science fiction novels of all time.

Agatha Christie spent five years waiting to be published. She's sold more books than any other author, and is third in line behind The Bible and Shakespeare.


See? Even the most talented minds were repeatedly rejected - and most of their rejection letters were HARSH. Can you imagine if they quit after the first "no"? Our world would be vastly different. I wouldn't want to live on a planet without Star Wars!

There are hundreds more that I didn't include on this list. I guarantee that all of your favorite writers, painters, musicians, actors, and filmmakers all experienced rejection, road blocks, and the dreaded self-doubt.

If you're considering giving up after a rejection (or a hundred), listen to this...

Rejection doesn't matter. It's how you deal with it that counts. If you truly love something, you aren't going to let anyone stop you from doing it.


So keep going with that novel, drawing, sculpture, or whatever else you might be working on. You never know...the people rejecting you today could be the same people begging you for something tomorrow.

Don't stop doing what you love. Ever. A trillion rejections can't erase your hard work or passion for what you do.

Good luck and keep fighting the good fight.

Sincerely,

Dana Gricken