Rejection sucks. We have all had a dose of being emotionally rejected thought out our lives. I have been through so much rejection in my young life that I'm like an old rusty car chugging along the road waiting to break at the next turn.
Whether it comes from a group of friends, a team, a social situation, an employer, failing a test or being rejected in a relationship, rejection can come subtly or blatantly.
It all started when I was a little kid. The first time I remember being rejected was watching my favorite TV show, Power Rangers. After being a fanatic of the show, my parents banned me from watching it all together because I would go around kicking and attempting to karate chop people. There's a TV violence statistic for you! Poor me.
It was a difficult time for a 7-year-old, all of my friends would talk about what happened to the pink ranger in the latest show and I was left in the dark with only my action figures.
In all seriousness, the feeling of rejection is a serious one.
In 2003, a study conducted by UCLA and Macquarie University in Australia measured the link between physical pain and rejection. The study found that, "rejection deprives people of a sense of belonging and control, self-esteem and a meaningful existence."
Many people are crippled by the thought of being emotionally rejected. Think of it this way: for adults the looming thought of rejection is like the fear kids have of a monster under the bed — it could crawl up anytime and snatch you, but is it really there?
There are times when being rejected I have thought, OK, I've hit the lowest point of feeling unwanted and full of self-doubt, I can't possibly be hurt any more than this, right?
I've tried this optimistic approach but every instance of rejection sucks and hurts just the same. Sadly, I am not the only one unfortunate enough to experience this inner struggle.
This is the turning point where we need to learn how to karate chop that awful feeling of rejection out our lives.
As I'm staring at my laptop, trying to write this column, I realized this is the point when we all need to blast Eye of the Tiger, jump up and down, do the little Rocky Balboa dance and punch rejection in the bootay.
If you haven't realized it yet, this concept of being rejected has consumed my thoughts lately. From all of my experiences with being rejected from teams, groups of people and in relationships I have ultimately learned a vital life lesson.
Rejection is success in disguise.
It's like that annoying but catchy Kanye West song, "Stronger." He sings, "That that don't kill me can only make me stronger." (Yes, I just quoted Kanye West in a positive, non-racial statement.)
Being rejected in any situation forces one to change. Think of how great it feels to overcome rejection, to pick yourself up and have better experiences come your way.
Rejection is like kissing a frog that turns into a prince. It's unfortunate and slimy at the time but once you wipe your lips it transforms into something amazing.
Now, I look forward to the challenges and experience of rejection. Although it will hurt me, in the long run, it will make me stronger.
In case you were dying to know… after months of proving to my parents that I wasn't actually out to get anybody with my super fly power ranger skills, I earned Power Rangers back in my life again!
Feeling this article is in need of some rejection? Give it to me at: .
