Break My Heart, But Make It Worth the Plot Twist

"How do we overcome heartbreak?"
"There's only one way. You have endure it. All of it."

I steered clear of rejections for a very long time, partly by luck and partly by convenient caution. And this isn’t a humblebrag wrapped in struggle. My story is not exactly inspiring. Just mildly educational.

Academically, I never chased big-name colleges — that just wasn’t the poison I picked. Professionally, I never dreamed of being on the cover of Forbes, and somehow, decent jobs kept finding me. Personally, I had just one relationship, which began early and eventually turned into marriage. In a nutshell, rejection was never something I truly encountered; not in ways that lingered.

I began exploring the world mostly from the safe space of home. During college and those first few years of work, I had two people, my parents, backing me unconditionally, like two overzealous bubble-wrap enthusiasts. They made sure I had everything I needed, so I never had to meet the world on harsh terms. Later, my husband took over that role.

And I don’t blame them. They loved me with everything they had. Their only wish was to keep me safe and happy.

But somewhere along the way, I became naive, too soft to face rejection. I never had to sit with it alone, feeling that sharp ache of not being enough, of not being chosen. I never had to wait out the pain, or rebuild myself brick by brick. Someone was always there, paving the way for me. And for a long time, I liked it that way. That was on me.

But life has a peculiar way of keeping the scale balanced. It doesn’t let you skip the hard parts forever. You can enjoy the cotton-candy skies, but sooner or later, you’ll have to face the beasts that come pounding. I guess, that's how life humbles you, shapes you.

What I dodged for so long, eventually came for me, hard, fast, and without mercy. Rejections. And honestly, I couldn't handle them well, a lot of times.

When I began tasting success in my career and finally started wanting more, I faced rejection. I was turned down by countless companies, like rejection was on clearance sale. And each one left me a little more heartbroken, a little less sure of myself.

Once, an ugly fight turned into a rejection in my relationship, and I thought it was the end of the world. Rejections seeped into friendships too, and I found myself drowning in self-doubt.

Having skipped the early rejection drills, the kind you can recover from with teenage resilience, I was wildly underprepared. Every “no” felt like betrayal and bowled me over in the most vicious and unforgiving way. They hurt more deeply than they should have. They haunted me longer than they needed to. They terrified me more than I could have imagined.

But perhaps this was life, finally giving me my share of rejections. And maybe I needed this rough education. Because some way or other, I had to learn things that comfort couldn't teach me.

I had to learn that there’s a world beyond heartbreak where real character is shaped.
I had to learn that there's wisdom in not taking everything personally.
I had to learn that there's something called self-worth that you don't place in anyone else's hands.

So yes, rejections really make you something. Mostly a mess at first. But eventually, a better author of your own story.