Rejection is simply not getting what you want. It says nothing about you, your character or your worth as a human being. Rejection is inevitable. It's as much a part of the human experience as death is. So, why do you fear it so?

You fear rejection because you struggle with accepting the reality that you aren't always going to get what you want. I know that sounds a bit elementary but think about it. You don't ask for the raise because you're scared you won't get it. You don't ask the girl out because you're scared she will say no. You don't take a chance on your dream because you're scared it will end in defeat.

Fear of rejection leads to inaction because it's a defense mechanism. It's far easier to accept the reality that you haven't tried for something you've wanted rather than tried and not gotten what you wanted.

And so to overcome your fear of rejection––to learn to accept rejection for what it is––you must first realize that your life doesn't change for the worse after being rejected. If you don't get the raise you asked for, your life doesn't change. You never had the raise in the first place. You didn't have the raise before the rejection. You still don't have the raise after the rejection. Nothing has changed.

However, something magical happens when you learn to accept rejection, you open yourself up to the possibility of getting what you want. You might get the raise. You might fall in love with the girl. You might catch the dream.

Forfeiting rejection and going after what you want is magic in that, sometimes, it creates something out of nothing.