Dealing with R𝙚𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

I’ve had my fair share of rejections, so I know how much they sting.

At one point, I applied to so many schools that I lost track of my login credentials.

I had a diary, but I was terrible at entering information, especially under the pressure of juggling multiple applications.

One after another, as though in agreement, rejection notices rolled in.

In fact, some rejection notices would arrive, and I wondered when I had even applied to that school.

Anyway, after some time, I couldn’t tell if they didn’t like me, or if they didn’t like my application, or both.

You know the thoughts that come with rejection, trying to shift the blame onto the system just to feel better.

However, I later realized that such thinking doesn’t bring lasting healing. It offers momentary relief, but the pain underneath remains unshakable.

Something else, rejection has a way of isolating you, leaving you in a dark room of dejection.

There’s always that temptation to connect rejection with your identity, to let it shape how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself.

At other times, rejection comes with such pressure that it makes you feel like you’re not competitive enough, not good enough.

Of all the admission rejections I’ve received, one still stands out. An admissions officer emailed me to say my application was so poor that he even tried to place me in a lower class, but I couldn’t meet those requirements either.

What do you do when an authority figure, someone you consider an expert, makes that kind of assessment of your best efforts?

I didn’t know then what I know now, but I told myself, ‘Because of what he said, I will gain admission in a more prestigious university.’ And perhaps shake his hand one day.

Let me tell you something: Authority figures are powerful. Teachers are powerful. Experts are powerful.

We trust their judgment. However, they’re not always accurate in their assessment of our pursuits.

They only see what is in front of them, not what is inside of us – the drive, the focus, the determination, the decision to succeed.

So, for some reason, I wouldn’t give up applying until I got it big! And that was my turning point—the moment where persistence outruns rejection.

I didn’t just survive the “no’s,” I outlasted them. This is the part most people don’t see: the quiet resilience, the refusal to let someone else’s opinion become your identity.

You don't build your confidence around rejection; you built it around purpose.

Around the promise of God. Around the belief that what God placed in you was worth fighting for.

Here is one big takeaway I hope to leave with you: We really don’t need a thousand opportunities to succeed in life; we need just one acceptance, one network. Never forget: one “yes” may just be all that is needed to bring the breakthrough you need.

But what if you stop? What if you stop? What if you stop because of someone else's judgment? What if you stop? What if you stop?

Keep applying, keep believing, keep showing up. And eventually, you will get it big.