Rejection

Set your timer:  For the next 15 minutes, write about rejection and what it means to you.

Since I've avoided this assignment for so long now, I feel like I really should just get it over with.  I mean, it's rejection... big deal.  Who hasn't been rejected at least once in their lives? 

I guess a part of me, and most likely everyone else, rejection is taken as a personal attack on our character.  Negative opinions (and sometimes no opinion) make us beleive that those views are about our selves, and not our work.  Now, being a writer, I know that every word I write is a reflection of me, so how could I not take any rejection as well, a personal rejection?  How can the two be seperated? 

I have spent the greater part of the last year working on Jr. Nationals, hoping that all of our hard work, meetings, paperwork, emails, and money would be well received by the skaters, coaches and judges.  Well it was, but there are still a few moments that I remember from last week that I would rather forget.  The angry parent.  The disgruntled coach.  The pushy volunteer.  I don't readily remember the good stuff, I remember the moments that made me feel like I didn't do enough, or rather, the moments when people rejected our grand plan. 

Out of 20 compliments, why do we remember the one rejection?

The end of the year always makes me look at my life and see what I can make better.  I think this rejection phobia literally stops me from doing things I'd like to do, and stops me from living and enjoying life.  I spend a great deal of time worrying about what others will think about what I'm doing, wearing, or even writing, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. 

I think this kind of wisdom comes with age.  It has to be learned over time.  True, some people are born to not care about what others think, but I am not one of them.  It is a very difficult habit to break, but I think at this point in my life, and having the year I just had, it will be a bit easier for me. 

What will you be working on next year?