How to Reframe Rejection So It Ultimately Makes You Stronger
There's no way around it: Rejection, whether in your personal life or professional career, can be as tough as it is inevitable. Any time I experience rejection—big or small—I find myself wondering how anyone is supposed to handle something so debilitating. So I went to some pros for guidance.
The first is entrepreneur John Jacobs, cofounder of Life Is Good. Founded in 1994, Life Is Good is successful by pretty much any standard today. The brand now has around 200 employees and dozens of best-selling designs and products. But like any story worth telling, the company didn't start out that way. It started with cofounders and brothers, John and Bert Jacobs, selling T-shirts with their drawings out of their van. They had to learn from rejection early on.
The second is Amy Morin, LCSW, a psychotherapist, psychology lecturer, and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do. She's also the host of Mentally Strong People, her brand-new podcast. Having suffered the loss of two loved ones in her early 20s, Morin has dedicated her career to exploring the best (and worst) ways to cope with loss and rejection, including what drives resilient individuals to take even the biggest setbacks in stride.
Here are their most worthy takeaways.