Failure: “No You Can’t”
By Anonymous
I’m used to hearing no a lot. It started in childhood, from asking “can I sleepover at my friend’s house?” to university, “can I be part of your committee?” Hearing no always came in different forms, such as “no, you can’t sleepover” and “I don’t like you that way” or “thank you for your application…unfortunately, you do not suit the qualifications we are looking for.”
I have experienced rejection and failures my entire life. I didn’t get into my top college, I have been rejected from many internships, and I have faced social rejection as well. Initially, I took these “failures” to heart and let them consume my thoughts and emotions. I doubted my own self-worth as well as my intelligence and abilities. I thought, “what’s the point of putting myself out there if I’m going to fail?”
What I’ve learned from years and years of rejection and “failures” is that they’re not actually failures. There are opportunities to grow and learn. If you’re rejected from a job, ask why you didn’t fit the position. More times than not, the committee will tell you about your strengths and weakness, as well as how you can improve. Failing the first time doesn’t mean that you should give up – it’s an opportunity to take time to grow and try again the next go-around.
The first summer internship I ever earned was after sending multiple applications out and receiving what seemed like endless rejections. It was disheartening to constantly read no after no. I felt like a failure; however, was all worth it when I received my first “yes” and landed an internship at a leading hospital. A thousand rejections don’t seem like a lot when you earn your dream job.
Rejections and failures are critical to your development. They help you grow tough skin and they teach you to advocate for yourself. Looking back at all my “no’s”, I can pinpoint a specific area of my personal development that grew stronger each time I was rejected. Failures make you a more well-rounded and resilient person. As my dad always said, “your character isn’t reflected by how you handle success, it’s reflected by how you handle failure.”