The reason this period was so useful was that it helped me develop a really thick skin.
Another reason is that a high volume of rejections is just another form of stepwise refinement. OP may not have realized it, but he probably got much better over time. It's a good idea to not personalize rejections. It's a better idea to use them as data in order to improve.
"It's a good idea to not personalize rejections. It's a better idea to use them as data in order to improve."
-- so true, but it's hard for some people not to take stuff personally. When they succeed in doing that, they'll become come successful, and better persons by the way.
i agree, it is hard for some people to not take it personally... i have struggled with this. my approach has been to focus on things i can control... and you can't control if people reject you.
Well true, if people are tight on finance or similar, they have mental pressure on them and almost always take things personally. They can't clean their head, refresh their thoughts and think strait.
How do you improve if you don't use rejections as reflections to find flaws in yourself? As in, how do you improve if you don't personalize rejections?
The idea is better served as to being tenacious and not giving up even after rejections. A lot of times we take rebuffs as negative validation not to keep going or to have it drag us down in depression.
Don't expect rejection but learn to cope and live with it.
Also--especially dangerous now that I'm reading some of these comments--learn not to be so high up in the clouds and deluded in thinking you're above reproach or criticism. You're not. Learn to cope with rejection so that you're not just getting carried away with manic dreams.
I would still say that it is better to expect failure. That way, when you succeed it is more of an 'oh, ok.' moment than something that causes you to think too highly of yourself. Once I personally learned to get over the fact that I am smart, because, so is everyone else in my field that is worth their salt, that made it much easier to walk forward and not get turned back by rejections or failure.
Another reason is that a high volume of rejections is just another form of stepwise refinement. OP may not have realized it, but he probably got much better over time. It's a good idea to not personalize rejections. It's a better idea to use them as data in order to improve.