What Being Rejected Taught Me
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt It’s not about you. It’s about them. It’s their loss. Don’t take it personally. It doesn't mean anything. Well-intention ed people have told me these things many times to soften the blow of rejection. And I wanted so badly to believe them, but how could I? When someone doesn't want you, it’s hard not to take it personally. They don’t want you . It must mean something about you, right? When 3 Bands rejected me, when girl after girl ditched me, when countless potential friends avoided me, I thought for sure it meant I wasn’t talented or lovable. I beat myself up, put myself down, and wished I could be someone better, someone people wouldn’t so quickly write off. I tried to re frame it, to consider that it really had nothing to do with me. I knew this thought was supposed to comfort me, but something told me this wasn’t right—and it wasn’t my low self-este...