Most of us have a bad relationship with failure and rejection. They seem painful, hard, depressing, easier to avoid . . .
With good reason: Failure and rejection both hurt. They aren’t the types of experiences most of us would choose to have, especially given other options.
Would you want to apply for a job . . . only not to get it?
Or ask someone out . . . only to hear that the answer is no?
Or write a book . . . only to not make the New York Times Bestseller’s list?
(Ok, I’m kidding on the last one. Kinda.)
But seriously, how many of us want to fail? The possibility alone can make us doubt whether we really want the thing we want . . .
Worse than that, it can also make us doubt ourselves to the point that we’re unwilling to go after what we want: Part of us wants to go for it, but part of us wants to run and hide.
So how do we stay open to even trying – especially when we start asking ourselves things like, What’s the point? Why even bother?
It ultimately comes down to trust in the universe. When we believe that everything happens for the best, it helps us become more resilient to rejection and failure.
It’s important to note that “best” here doesn’t necessarily mean the most desired outcome, but rather what serves our highest inner evolution.
With that in mind, instead of trying to avoid the potential disappointment of failure and rejection, we’re more likely to take the chance. And instead of obsessing about what we did or didn’t get, we can focus on what we learned in the process.
That way, when things don’t go as hoped, rather than feeling like something’s gone wrong, we can see the gifts in the experience, and trust that everything is in divine order, and believe that whatever didn’t happen simply wasn’t our path.
And who knows . . . ultimately, instead of fearing failure or rejection, we may even start to fear not giving it our best shot.