No one wants to experience rejection. However, throughout our lives it is bound to happen at one point or another. Rejection comes in a variety of ways, but in any situation, it still hurts. Being rejected by friends, a potential love interest, colleges, jobs, clubs or by anything can cause some social and emotional hurting. What is important is that we overcome this obstacle of rejection in our lives and move forward. Rejection can help us grow, it can help us realize when something wasn’t meant to be, and it can help us look forward to better opportunities in the future.

1. Rejection motivates us to do better.

When people reject you, it’s usually because they don’t understand what you are capable of accomplishing. Use rejection as an inspiration to improve and work harder. It can be a great feeling to accomplish what many thought you couldn’t do. For example, Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job because the editor thought he, “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Little did the editor know that Disney would move on to create The Walt Disney Company.

2. It teaches us the value of patience and persistence.

Sometimes no just means not right now. Rejection teaches us that if we are passionate about something, we should not give up in the face of rejection. It teaches us that better opportunities will come along and to realize that now is not the right time. It is important to not rush things because eventually, everything will fall into place.

3. It reminds us that we are human.

In society today, many people think very highly of themselves. Experiencing rejection provides the essence that we are not above certain people, we are not perfect, we make mistakes, and we need room to improve. Rejection keeps us humble and helps us to be open to learn in different ways.

4. It shows that we are trying.

It is not easy to ask someone out, apply for jobs and colleges, go out for certain clubs or ask a friend to get together and then be rejected. However, it is sometimes better to take a risk and experience rejection than wonder, "what if?" It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there, but learning what rejection feels like helps you grow.

5. It helps improve our empathy skills.

Once you experience rejection for yourself, it helps you relate better to other people and help them when they are dealing with rejection. Instead of simply saying, “I’m sorry,” to someone when they experience it, you will be able to say that you understand what it feels like and how much it hurts.

6. It shows us who is there for us during our difficult times and who we can count on.

When going through negative times, you see who is truly there for you. There will be people who will get us through it and maybe even present better opportunities. This time of weakness can allow for relationships to strengthen. It can also help you evaluate who or what hurt you and how to overcome it.

7. It can help us realize that everything happens for a reason.

In most cases, rejection gives us the opportunity to explore other options. While it hurts to not get what we want, we forget there are multiple possibilities left in the world. There are many different directions and paths our lives can take us. Try to remember the famous words of Alexander Bell: “When one door closes; another door opens.” With that in mind, rejection could be the best thing that happened to us.