“I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat” –  Sylvester Stallone 

Recently I read an interesting article about rejection that made me stop and think for a moment.

Why is rejection so painful?  In his article Mr Harvey says, “It is a little know fact that when a person is rejected the part of the brain that lights up is the exact same region that is responsible for registering physical pain.  So if you are one of the people that think rejection is painful then I can assure you, you are not alone!”

Rejection is a part of life and we all come across it at some stage.  We experience rejection in love, in our friendships and families and at work.

It is a healthy attitude to accept that rejection is a part of life and to acknowledge that what really matters is finding the way to bounce back and try again.

How we react to it is different and depends on our personality and general attitudes.  It is unpleasant to all, but some of us get crashed by it and some of us get stronger.    

Many of us will experience rejection as a part of our professional life.  If you are selling, chasing debtors, auditioning for a part  or have had few unsuccessful job interviews  –  you have experienced this more than average person!

The word “reject” has, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, two definitions. Interestingly, the first definition is:

1.  “To refuse to take, agree to, accede to, use, believe, etc.” – which speaks to the issue of disagreement or conflict. The second definition is:

2.  “To discard; throw out or away as worthless, useless, or substandard; cast off or out.”

In fact, it just might be more accurate to say that rejection is a sign of a disagreement, or conflicting desires of two parties, rather than because one party  is worthless.

Watch out for our upcoming  “How To Overcome Rejection? – Part 2