Rejected!

 So, Rejected? And...Feeling dejected?

I don't like these words but this rhyme fits well.

Welcome to the world of non-acceptance!

Rejections, no matter how insignificant, are usually painful. When I brought up this topic with my Instafam through individual discussions, there was one common thing for most:

Rejection= Mind Chaos

Hey wait, did you just remember one of your rejection moments? Please hold on, I gotta share some of my experiences first :)

So here are some selected episodes from my kitty of rejections (all are real)

I was once rejected at a matrimonial meet because I had not applied makeup. The incident dates back to my pre-blogging days. It was a formal family meeting with a fair-skinned Sindhi lawyer from Mumbai. And while his aunt enjoyed intellectual discussions with me, the guy and his mom were super disappointed with my simple salwar suit and 'no make-up' face.

A short conversation with the Gucci guy reminded me of the character Suhaas from the movie 3 idiots. (Yes such creatures really exist).

The following day the super sophisticated family gave me a "second chance" to turn up in a better version. This time, I was more confident, and excited about meeting this extraordinary person. So I delightfully agreed for another formal meet, and went decked up in a - simple salwar suit and....no make-up.

Lolz the incident makes me laugh even today. And this way, I've learned to laugh out most of such rejections that do not meet my life purpose, values and standards of self respect.

In yet another matrimonial meet, a few minutes before the guy's family arrived I was strictly instructed by the matchmaking lady to keep my mouth shut about my ongoing work and career aspirations. She stated that the family was very well settled and "did not require" my financial contribution in the house. And then well-  followed a 30 minute conversation with the "recently toured Europe" guy. So while he was trying to stand out as the perfect eligible bachelor- highlighting his superiority in different spheres, I happily expressed my life goals and a deep-rooted desire for achieving my potential. Of course I faced a backlash from the matchmaking lady, and it only made me stronger!

Do these rejections bother me? No, not at all! They make me feel proud of being with myself and aligning myself with my life purpose. We, as human beings, are conditioned to see acceptance as an achievement. Losing it out- whether to a person, relationship or with work, or in any sphere of life doesn't go well with most of us.

I recently had a conversation with a friend crying over a breakup. The core of all her thought processes was- "Maybe I'm not good enough."

I want to reach out to all those (whether men or women) going through this phase and questioning yourself for lacking somewhere..... and here's what I want to say-

A rejection is not a certificate defining you as a sub-standard or undeserving person. It may have happened for any reason. We are all here to learn and be better individuals. If the reason for rejection indicates some correction or betterment in your life, go for it. Win over that weakness. If it doesn't, laugh out the rejection. Do not let ego or societal embarassment stop you from protecting and nurturing your true essence.

Rejection At The Workplace

Rejections do not spare your work scene too! And how does it feel when you put in so much effort into getting a file, a programming code, or a marketing concept ready- and it's not accepted? Oh.... you gotta work on it all over again....!

Angry? Confidence lost? Wanna leave your job? Well, hold on this trail...there are plenty of sustainable actions that can be done.

As a creative Content Writer, I've had plenty of rejections at work. I still recollect the days when I was new to the industry, shifting from a teaching profession to writing about the Indian fashion scene was quite a reroute.

Creative writing is one field where only subjective assessments can happen. And there were days when I had to work overtime to deliver the kind of content that my team wanted. It was frustrating...and that triggered off a search for the best solution.

I started reading, researching, and learning- wholeheartedly. And the process still goes on. Each day at work, I push myself towards doing better, expanding my vocabulary and understanding the changing industrial scenario. In the last three years, my workplace rejections have decreased to a negligible amount. Well, I still occasionally face times when I need to brainstorm over a dozen titles for a new collection or a website banner, and when probably the fifteenth or the eighteenth title gets a thumbs up, I see the entire list of options as a fruitful learning process.

There are lots of other interesting rejections from my journey- I'm sure you would be having them too- Laugh it out!

"There is immense power in realising that your life is not a product of people's acceptance or rejection."

             -Bhavna Narang

JK Rowling's Harry Potter series was rejected by 12 publishers...the rest is history.

Amitabh Bachchan- the legend with a voice we look up to, was rejected at All India Radio.

I can go on with this topic... But would end it here for now. Maybe I shall cover more facets of rejections in my next post or have a live session on social media.

Your feedback and questions are always welcome :)

Thank you for reading this post.

Keep up your spirits...Have an amazing day!