Introduction

Rejection and failure are unavoidable and this is more so when one is trying to achieve big dreams. It is never fun to face failure whether in the workplace, in your love life, or in any of your projects. But motivation is not only about endurance; it is about development and changing one’s perspective. In this article we examine ways on how you can continue to maintain your motivation despite of the challenges that you may come across.

1. Accept the fact that failure is not a destination but a process.

It is extremely important to understand that everybody who is successful has been rejected and has failed at some point. In any case, no journey is perfect; you can be an entrepreneur, an athlete, or an artist. Failure should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and not as a way to reach a cul-de-sac.

• Growth Mindset: When you adopt a growth mindset, you stop viewing setbacks as personal attacks and start viewing them as opportunities to improve.
• Historical Examples: Just as Thomas Edison tried 1000 times before he came up with the light bulb or J.K. Rowling who was rejected by 12 different publishers before her Harry Potter series became an international phenomenon.

2. Reframe Rejection as Redirection

It is painful when one is rejected, but sometimes it could be that one is being led to a better place for him or her.

• New Opportunities: Rejection usually creates opportunities or ways that you never thought of before.
• Fine-Tuning Your Goals: In some cases, it is an opportunity to look back and then adjust your goals and objectives based on the significance.

3. Divide your big goals into small achievable ones.

It is overwhelming when you consider the end result because this makes failure seem so much larger than life. If you divide your large goal into several smaller goals, it is easier to concentrate on the progress, and failures will not be so discouraging.

• Short-Term Wins: It is easier to make small daily goals and when these are not met, it does not affect the overall progress as much as when you set big goals and fail to meet them.
• Tracking Progress: Keep a planner, app, or journal to help you record your progress and keep you encouraged.

4. Establish a strong support system

It is beneficial to seek the company of people who will encourage you when you are feeling lethargic and bring new ideas into the project.

• Mentors and Coaches: Find people that can help you in terms of how to deal with failure.
• Peers and Friends: Friends and family who share the same views as you can help you during the difficult period.

5. Practice Self-Compassion

Lack of self-compassion is dangerous when it comes to rejection or failure. It’s easy to be our own worst enemy but being nice to yourself can assist in keeping one motivated and not negativity.

• Avoid Negative Self-Talk: Replace negative self-talk such as ‘I’m not good enough’ with more positive messages.
• Treat Yourself Like a Friend: Remind yourself what you would tell your best friend if he or she were in the same situation.

6. See the larger picture (take a step back)

At times of failure, one is likely to forget the general goal and focus on the negatives. In motivation, it is not always easy to stay motivated and this may need a long term perspective

• Visualize Success: It is recommended to often paint a picture of success and how it will be to get to the achievement of the set goals.
• Purpose and Passion: Find out the purpose of your goals. It is easier to overcome a challenge if one has a strong purpose or passion.

7. Learn to love your journey, not just the destination

It is the process of getting there that counts not the end results. Focusing on the result only will make the failures seem like huge obstacles, while focusing on the process of learning and personal development makes failures into opportunities.

• Process Over Perfection: Pursue value, effort, and improvement more than the idea of perfection. This is the reason why focusing on the process is helpful because it keeps you going even when you do not see the results.
• Celebrate Effort: Don’t only cheer for the win, but also for the work that you have done to get there.

Conclusion

Even though everyone fails and gets turned down sometimes, that shouldn't stop you from moving forward. So, if you change how you feel, set goals that are attainable, surround yourself with positive people, and be kind to yourself, you will stay focused even if you fail. You already know that failing is not the end of the world. It's just a part of the process, and you need to keep going after each mistake.