Rejecting someone (or being rejected) is never fun, but there are some surprising gifts in this action. Strive to be compassionate and kind if rejection is ever called for, but consider these six gifts hidden within it:
1. Finding Your Tribe
Self-help expert Jim Rohn says each of us is the average of the five persons we’re around the most. Who is this group for you? Are they true friends, or might you be more enriched by interacting with others? If your current relationships aren’t uplifting you, rejection can pave the way for finding your real tribe.
2. Authenticity
Facebook users have an average of 300 “friends.” However, most are people we’ve never met. A 2011 Cornell University study revealed most people have an average of two close, genuine, real-life confidants. Relationships with people who aren’t a match – online or off – can erode our sense of self, whereas authenticity leads to a life well-lived. Focus on authentic connections, and choose wisely.
3. More Enriching Use of Time and Energy
We’re all busier than ever. Favoring contacts who bring mutual enrichment can help you to make the most of your precious free time.
4. Getting on to Our True Life Path
Nature has a way of regulating things for truth, so if you get the instinct someone isn’t a match, pay attention. Tune into your inner guidance system and let it steer you onto your true life path, including within your relationships.
5. Aligning with the Highest Good
With over 7 billion people on planet Earth, you won’t have time for relationships with all of them. Be discerning, selective and forthright as you focus on finding connections that support the highest good of everyone concerned.
6. Helping Others to Do All of the Above
Rejecting those who aren’t a match not only brings the above gifts to your life; it liberates the “rejected” person to connect with these gifts as well.
While rejection should always be done as gently and compassionately as possible, in these six ways, it can actually be a loving (and self-loving) act. Live life authentically by giving and receiving the gift of rejection when it’s called for.
