Rejection can be very painful and if our self-esteem isn’t where it should be ideally (and many of ours isn’t) then rejection can throw us a devastating blow. The ability to handle rejection without turning it inward, attacking ourselves with thoughts of unworthiness and losing our ability to think rationally is not something one can find a quick fix to. The ability to deal courageously with rejection happens naturally as we build up our self-esteem by beginning to love and accept ourselves. Believe it or not, rejection is part of life’s journey and plays a significant role in our learning and growing process.
Being rejected is something everyone experiences. Yes, everyone. You are not alone, nor is there anything wrong with you. Just like we don’t all have the same taste in clothes, food and music, similarly neither do we all have the same beliefs and realities. Simply put, not everyone is going to appreciate the way you walk and talk. It’s the way it is and it doesn’t mean that someone else’s opinion of you is everyone’s opinion of you nor does it mean that you should accept anyone else’s opinion as your truth. So many of us do this – a person tells us we are not good enough and we immediately internalize it and accept it as truth. If this is you, understand that your opinion of yourself is who you project to the world. If you have a low opinion of yourself, that is what others see – and likewise, if you have a high opinion of yourself, that is what others see. Loving and accepting yourself is the key to handling rejection with courage and confidence.
We all have our fears, our doubts, our little quirks and weird habits, our insecurities and equally we have our strengths, our talents, our abilities, our passions and many other things to be proud of. If you are in the company of someone who continuously points out what is wrong with as opposed to what is right with you, then my suggestion is to find a way to sever that relationship because it is not healthy and it could hinder your efforts to build your self-esteem. If it’s a family member and you can’t sever the ties, then limit the amount of time you spend with that person…
Born in San Mateo, California, Danielle Pierre learned early on about the devastating effects of domestic violence. After experiencing a series of tragic events over several years, including the suicide of her father and loss of her sister in 1990 due to a fatal car accident, Danielle eventually overcame self-pity and sabotage, moving forward to discover that she was not a victim of circumstance and made the CHOICE to adopt a healthy and positive mindset.
Having discovered the inner strength to break free and move beyond debilitating mindsets and circumstances, Ms Pierre was able to reinvent her life. She is now acutely aware of the incredible potential we each have to create a happy and fulfilling life regardless of our current situation. It is the desire to share in that awareness that is her driving force.
Today, Danielle is a certified life coach, co-host of Outreach Radio, a violence prevention advocate and author of the book ‘Just Make it Happen – Unleashing Your Inner Power‘. She is also the creator of ‘Hearts for Haiti‘ a book of poetry, art and inspiration designed to raise funds for the rebuilding of Haiti after its devastating earthquake in 2010 that took the lives of over 300,000 people, including Sir Walt Ratterman, and left over 1,000,000 homeless.
Additionally, in 2009 Danielle co-founded Walk-it-Out Fundraisers, Inc. with Timothy Pina. They walked 500+ miles from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA over a 60 day period, backpacks in tow, to raise awareness for domestic violence and homelessness. It is Danielle’s ultimate goal to empower those seeking to improve the quality of their lives and help others emerge from negative mindsets and self-sabotaging behaviors in order to clear the path to a safe, healthy and happy lifestyle.