We all have experienced rejection in some form or fashion. Whether it was by a significant other or friend or by an institution or team, it has happened sometime. Everyone says that the way you deal with the rejection is the most important component of it; “It shows your character” etc. I think sometimes we get lost in showing how much we don’t care about the rejection that we never really deal with it or understand how to effectively move forward.
Last week, I auditioned for a small, new, semi-professional dance team. The team cheered for and supported the North Texas Longhorns, who are a member of the Texas United Football League. I was so excited to have the opportunity to try out for a team this year (as most auditions have passed). I found out about it about a week before the audition, but decided to go ahead and try anyway. As I’m sure you’ve guessed; I didn’t make the team. I was SO SAD, but not completely devastated. I tried to push it from my mind the past couple of days, but then I decided that that was just plain stupid. If you try and don’t succeed, don’t blindly try again! Really understand why you didn’t succeed. While I can’t get the judges notes or even what they were looking for, I can evaluate as an individual things that I could have done differently. I could have attended all of the prep classes even though my circumstances prevented me from doing so. I could have practiced more. I could have researched more about the team. I could have done many things differently.
While I won’t “beat myself up” about it, I think really evaluating what I did wrong is important if I plan on pursuing things like this in the future. This technique can and should be applied to most situations. While my failure could be attributed to things out of my control (the way I look, what they were looking for, etc.) it’s important to focus on the things I can control and try to do things differently. If it something we truly cannot control, why think about that one aspect of the situation?
Sometimes I think we get into the mindset that we couldn’t have done anything differently and if the school, person or dance team didn’t want me, they don’t know what they are missing! While that may be true, why did they not know how awesome you were?! Honestly, were you really that good? Maybe you didn’t portray yourself well, etc. Diving into those things without developing a complex about yourself is an important step to getting to the goals you want.
Good post - I agree! Focus on how you can better yourself :)
ReplyDeleteMy little sister is a dancer on a cruise ship. She was living in NYC prior to that, and tried out for many different dance teams, plays, musicals, etc. She must be made of much tougher stuff than I, because the amount of rejection she faced would have sent me home with my tail between your legs. I think she could empathize with the difficulties and the frustration... and I think it's important that you've taken an approach that will allow you to get through those frustrations and continue to improve going forward. Best of luck!
ReplyDeletetail between my legs* - editing without a final proofreading is always a bad idea.
ReplyDelete