Letter To My Younger Self : Rejection

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Dear younger me,

I hope you are doing well and having the time of your life. There are both failures and successes in life, and without them, the journey would feel monotonous. It took me years to understand this and to handle failures gracefully, just as I do with success.

You know, rejection has always been difficult for you. You would do anything to seek validation for whatever you did. No one ever told you that it is okay to fail. You were that trophy child who was expected to work hard and win first prize in everything. Whenever you did not achieve excellence, you would either blame yourself or the system.

But you were just a child. A mature one, yes, but still a child. Some things were too heavy to handle because your mind was being shaped by adults around you. I do not feel pity for that version of you. Instead, I feel grateful that it took us time to understand that rejection is not failure, but an opportunity to grow, refine your craft, and become better.

Let me remind you of something from senior secondary school. You participated in a contest where every participant had to present a collection of anything. You chose a poetry collection because you already had so much written. But when you reached there, the judge disqualified you, saying, “A school kid cannot have such a huge collection.” It was disheartening, I know. You went home upset, blaming the judge. What you forgot was how many people came to your desk, appreciated your work, and even brought their friends to see your talent.

It is okay. That one rejection made you promise yourself that you would publish a book someday. And my dear, we are already five books in. So what do you say now?

It is not easy to accept rejection gracefully, so take your time. Once you learn to do that, life will start to feel a little easier.

Yours truly,
Your adult self

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