describe an occasion when you experienced rejection and what you learnt from it.
Answers
Refusals, rejections, failures, discouragements are an important part of the totality of life. Every person has his share of them. We must have the proper perspective towards them. Though they are quite painful and hurting, but in retrospect we realize they were the force that helped us become successful in life. I experienced my rejections quite early in life.
My father was a man of meager means in my early childhood. He had only a bicycle at that time. Scooters, motorcycles, mopeds, cars, etc. were quite appealing to me at that time. I longed to have a ride on them, not to mention my madness to drive them! My uncle bought a second-hand scooter of which was very possessive and ensured no child touched it!
Once there was a family function at his house. I too had gone there to take part in the celebrations. The elders were busy in their own affairs, and we the children in our own. We were standing outside admiring the scooter. I sat on it and tried to derive pleasure out of an assumed ride. One mischievous cousin tried to start it. The sputter of the engine brought my uncle out. Seeing me sitting on the riding seat, he yelled at me asking me to keep my hands of the scooter. I felt embarrassed and humiliated.
After 20 years when I purchased my own car, I got an opportunity to drive my family to the same uncle’s home for another family function. I clearly remembered that day when he had yelled at me for touching his scooter. I smiled at the memory and thanked for giving me the car that I could enjoy taking to wherever I wished!
Then it was time for the class monitor elections. I was under the impression that since I am the most popular kid, I will easily win the election.
When the results were out, I was surprised to see that I had got zero votes. The boy who had won was one the most quiet boys in the class. I had seen him helping a few classmates at times, but that was it..he wasnt as popular as me, I thought. I was really shocked with this kind of rejection and went to talk to my teacher.
The conversation with the teacher opened my eyes. What she told me is that no one wanted to vote for me because at some point or the other I had humiliated them. On the other hand, the boy who had won was always helping them with their work in whatever way he could. He offered to carry books for a classmate who had hurt his leg or copied notes for someone who was absent and so on.
That was an eye opener. I realized how wrong I had been. I realized the importance of being helpful to someone and not troubling them all the time.
I too decided to mend my ways. I am sure that by the time we go for the next years class elections, I would become popular in true sense.