One of the biggest life lessons I’ve had to through is the multitude of rejections I’ve had to face in my career. In this era of not knowing which direction to walk towards, or the fear of not amounting to your own expectations, its so easy to feel paralysed by your own thoughts. Facing rejection is always difficult, but overcoming rejection always makes you stronger.
Having Courage
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to seek out new markets in Asia and North America. I’ve sent tapes to so many casting directors, sat in so many auditions and gotten so close with call backs but always seemed to fail short. You can imagine what that does for my ego. I always say that I’ve probably failed more than I have succeeded. So you can understand why gratitude in this industry is so necessary. We work so hard to be seen, we work so hard to have doors close in front of us. But there’s always a sense of courage each time we try, because it’s not just about hope, but about perseverance that we refuse to be complacent and accept status quo. Making an attempt is always going to be more courageous than standing on the side lines thinking what ifs without doing anything.
Being Vulnerable
Let’s face it, no one enjoys rejection. It is tough to go through scenarios where you are torn apart and picked on by your audience. We quickly race through our minds what we could have done differently; maybe it was something we said, maybe it was our tone, maybe it was our energy. Then we start to negotiate different scenarios in our head but we never ignore the disappointment that seeps in. But in that most broken moment of vulnerability, you always know that there are lots to learn from. (you have no choice but to learn)
One Step Closer to Success
Whether it is about how thick one’s skin is or how badly we want something, the journey of ups and downs will reveal your character. It shows your courage to show up, it shows your strength to overcome and it shows your tenacity to move forward. What I realised most of all, is that you end up being the winner, regardless of what it is you’re trying to get. Like those people who set goals to lose weight, or to read X number of books in a year – their journey ends up pushing them to succeed in other areas of their life, their transformation was the bigger outcome not their actual goal.
Calm waters never made a good sailor.
Life is about resilience and being able to take the punches it gives you. (I read an amazing article about the Secrets of Resilience here.) I am grateful that my life wasn’t always easy. I’m grateful that I learnt early on to work hard for the things I want. I’m grateful for all the rejections I’ve faced in my life because it has allowed me to appreciate my own breakthroughs. So for this year, I challenge all of you to step out and stop waiting for that perfect moment. Just go for it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?
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