To put it bluntly, rejection sucks. I don’t know anyone who likes or looks forward to it.  One of my father’s frequent expressions when I worried about trying something new was “All they can say is no.” Even though this wasn’t always helpful, I understood it. I’d never know if I didn’t try. Being told “no” was the worst thing that would happen.  It was up to me how I reacted to it.  Although rejection stings for a while, I always get over it.  I recently auditioned for a show. I wasn’t feeling particularly positive. To tell the truth, I was terrified but I tried my best. When I received the expected rejection email, I shrugged it off.

It helped that I had just finished performing in a fun play AND gotten a wonderful acceptance of one of my plays that same day. My head was in the clouds.  One of my plays was performed a couple of years ago. There is nothing like the rush of excitement and wonder at watching characters you created speak words you wrote. It’s a little bizarre. it’s almost like having people read your thoughts. I’m thrilled to be able to experience it again. In between, I’ve submitted plays to other theaters and been turned down. I don’t let it stop me. I just keep writing and I’ll keep auditioning for shows.

So whatever your thing is, keep doing it. Sometimes people will love it and on different days, they’ll politely decline. If you love what you’re doing, that’s the most important approval of all.