I should have gotten that promotion... I feel robbed.

Rejection is something we all go through at some point in our lives. Sometimes multiple times, and some more than others. There are factors that determine the frequency, but I won't be covering them in this article.

Sadly, we can't totally remove rejection from our lives because there are some things that are simply out of our control. What we can do is learn how to better handle it because, like it or not, it will come.

How to master handling rejection?

Acknowledge it

If you need time to get over it, take the time. If you need to cry, cry your eyes out. Don't act tough and unbothered. Go through the emotions as they come, don't bottle them up. Speak with people you trust about how you feel. People tend to run away from discussing their feelings but it's best to run towards them and deal with them head-on.

Don't take it personally

Rejection a lot of the time is not specifically targeted at you. Nobody is out to get you. Maybe you didn't get the job because they decided to go with the best candidate. Maybe you didn't get the promotion because your boss knew you were not yet ready to handle such responsibility and he had to make the best decision for his business. Maybe you got relieved of your job during the pandemic, through no fault of yours.

Have a support system

Surround yourself with people that love and care about you. They most likely know how to cheer you up, make you feel better about the situation, and quickly move on from it. Don't seclude yourself while dwelling on it. It does more harm than good.

Build your self-confidence

Remind yourself that being rejected at, for example, your dream job doesn't mean you are not good enough. It only means you were not the right fit for them at that moment. It does not change the fact that you are good at what you do. You are a catch! Keep doing you, and the right people that will appreciate the value you bring will come calling.

Identify areas of improvement

Ask yourself tough questions. Ask yourself what you could have done differently to lead to a more positive result. Learn from these answers and don't repeat them. Were you skipped for that promotion because you were not skilled enough for the role? Go and sharpen those skills, and then get noticed.

Try again

I'm going to use a scenario we can all relate to, to explain this point. When learning to ride a bike, you will most likely fall multiple times. You don't successfully learn how to ride a bike by giving up only because you fell off the bike a few times and sustained a few minor injuries, do you? No, you pick yourself and your bike up and try again. What I'm saying is that no matter how many times you fail/get rejected, get back at it, but with an improved approach.

Keep testing yourself

You really cannot master handling rejection if you are not regularly exposed to such situations. Don't run away from challenges. Put yourself out there. Attempt something you know only little about. Apply for that position you are underqualified for.

What's the worst that could happen right?