Rejection is a part of life. It is inevitable. If it has not happened to you yet, it may be coming soon, unfortunately.
Rejection is a part of the human experience. Nobody is immune to not facing rejection at some point in their life. Many celebrities and high-profile CEOs have experienced rejection. For example, Steve Jobs was fired from the company he founded after Apple's board of directors removed him. He later returned to Apple and helped it become one of the most valuable publicly traded companies.
"I'd been rejected, but I was still in love, so I decided to start over." -Steve Jobs
One of the best things I have heard is, "it's not a no ... it's a not yet." It is important to learn how to turn something negative positive. Life is about learning to overcome rejections. It may be difficult to understand why at the moment, but rejection often leads to something greater. Another perspective is to think of things as a two-way street. There could be various reasons you get rejected from a job, internship, or leadership position (p.s. It's not personal.) Rejection can also be social or romantic. Think on the bright side: they may not think you would be a good fit. I was rejected from many companies when applying for a full-time job and later learned it would not have been a good fit anyway. After being on the other side, I can say it does get better.
Rejection has been a notable part of my academic career. When I first came to college, it seemed like I was getting rejection after rejection. I wanted to be more involved on campus, but I was getting rejected from all the positions I applied for. How was I supposed to have leadership experience when nobody wanted to teach me? After a while, I decided my fear of not being involved was greater than my fear of rejection. I started applying to numerous opportunities, including ones outside of my comfort zone.
Rejection is likely not personal. I was not heavily involved in any organizations my freshman year. However, I took the year to take a step back and analyze what I wanted. My sophomore year, I got involved with lots of organizations I was passionate about and took on leadership roles. After a lot of reflection following my freshman year, things dramatically improved for me. In a few weeks, I am graduating with honors and have a job lined up post-graduation.
So how did I do it? To redirect yourself post rejection, the best thing to do is analyze the situation and determine what could have gone differently. Rejection is okay; it is a normal part of life. To improve, people must understand how to improve and prevent the same thing from happening. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from rejection. It does not have to be all bad. Think about rejection as an opportunity for improvement.