“Rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success…”

Bo Bennett

IF YOU KNOW ME

You would know I’ve had a love affair with Paris and everything relating to this fabulous city forever! Soooo when an opportunity arrived in my inbox recently to write for a well-known blog, in Paris, about Paris, I was thrilled at the chance. So what have I got to lose?!

DOUBT

In the meantime, I started to doubt myself, am I good enough? Why would a hip lifestyle blog want to hire a 58-year-old woman? Ugh! I was determined to put myself out there because I believed nothing ventured, nothing gained. And fuck-it! Why not?

I spent a good chunk of time revamping a very tired and old resume, researching resume styles and what not to do. I soon realized that resumes had changed a lot since my days of applying for jobs; the practice was good for me. I hadn’t worked in the corporate world since before kids, and reinventing myself as a “writer” was difficult. I mean, who am I to call myself a writer? I enjoy writing and doing so for myself, calling it my passion project. But does that qualify me as a writer?

Must have confidence…

After several revisions (there were many), I submitted my newly edited resume and waited for some form of acknowledgment. Finally, four days later, an email confirmed, “Thanks for your application. We will review it and get back to you soon.”

And yes, I was excited.

REJECTION

Silence for nearly two months. Although I felt like this was a “we’ll call you” situation, I should have followed up. Shoot! I didn’t follow up!

At last, I received word. Sadly, the email was exactly what I suspected. “Unfortunately, at this time, we will not be going forward with your application. We will let you know if anything changes.”

Ok. So this was a disappointing moment. However, in the grand scheme of things, it motivated me and got my butt moving. I challenged myself to go for something out of my comfort zone. I was nervous, and maybe deep down, I felt this opportunity was too good to be true or perhaps overqualified for an intern position.

Nonetheless, rejection doesn’t wear well. However, I desperately needed validation for my hours spent tirelessly writing, pouring my thoughts and ideas onto my blog pages for the entire world to read. In the end, I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, BUT I persevered.

I sulked for a while. Maybe longer than a while;)

I needed to do something. I was pissed, hence this blog, because I believe talking through a problem helps to put things into perspective. How am I doing?

MOVE ON

Oh my god!

This crazy journey of mine began because of rejection. That’s right. It was that pivotal moment when my marriage ended. Life as I knew it had changed in a flash. The good news is I didn’t let it stop me from living my life on my terms. Not unlike the writing job I wished for, I won’t let this small blip stop me from dreaming or putting myself out there.

Go for it!

Acknowledge what you’ve lost and, stop blaming yourself, be strong. I truly believe your turn will come.

I’ve moved on.

Oh ya!

I’m not trying to save the world, but I am trying to inspire you, one blog at a time. Hopefully, making a difference in my own way.