Today’s post is about one of those tough things that people don’t really talk about very openly. I like talking about these kinds of things though because I know that literally every single business owner deals with them and it makes it so much easier to deal with some of the not so fun parts of owning your own business when you know that there are other people going through the same things! To me, one of the more difficult parts of being a small business owner (particularly one who is solo), has always been dealing with rejection. I rarely hear others talking about how it affects them. How it can sting when you feel like you’re getting along great with a couple you’ve met with and then they email you to let you know they’ve gone with someone else…or worse, you never hear back from them at all! It can be really hard to separate yourself from your business when it’s so tied to who you are as a person. It’s not like you’re a big corporation like Wawa and someone chose to go to 7/11 for their gas instead. Our businesses are based on our personal talents, personalities, and styles in a way that most big businesses are not.

I have never dealt with rejection particularly well, but I’ve learned that it’s really not personal even though it can for sure feel that way sometimes. I’ve also learned that you have to consciously make the decision to feel a different way and take a new attitude about it. My attitude changed with all of a sudden one day I had this epiphany where I realized that anyone who takes the time to inquire with me, email back and forth, and then meet with me is actually giving me a really big compliment, whether or not they go with me in the end. No one would waste their time doing all that if they weren’t genuinely interested. So my new attitude is one that I think is always the best to default to if you’re ever lost about how to feel, and that’s grateful.

I know, I know. It seems kind of weird to be grateful to have been rejected. But that’s not how I look at it. I look at it as being grateful to have had the opportunity to meet a new couple and to have had people interested in my work. Both of those are positive things! Regardless of what the outcome will be, I start every interaction with clients, both potential and booked, by consciously reminding myself to be thankful.

If this is something you struggle with too, you are not alone! No matter where you are in your business, whether you just started out or you’ve been doing it for years, everyone feels this way from time to time. If you see yourself in this post, I highly encourage you to try to this out! It’s changed my perspective and freed me from that defeated feeling I’d get in the past when it didn’t work out for whatever reason. Instead of feeling bummed, I’m glad to have met some new people and happy that they found a photographer who is a really good fit for them. I’m also excited for the opportunities that are still lying in the future just waiting to be discovered! Try it and see how it goes!