When 99 people don't believe in you

and there's 100 people in the room

I got a rejection email just before Christmas.

It was a very nice and complimentary rejection. Sometimes that makes it even worse, doesn’t it? You’re being told how close you were to someone saying yes and potentially changing the course of your working life—but ultimately it’s a no. (All the very best with the project/book/idea! Someone out there is going to be SO lucky to have you! Just not us, though. Kind regards!)

It doesn’t matter where you are in your career, it always stings. A psychologist once told me that when we’re rejected, we aren’t just experiencing that one rejection, we’re re-experiencing all the previous rejections we’ve had before.

I’ve been around long enough now to know, genuinely, that what is meant for you will find you, but—let’s be real—rejection doesn’t feel great.