Frustrations come and go, and we get rejected daily, whether it is through job applications or failed plans. Rejection is part of life. But, what do we do with this?

You have to make your setback a setup for your comeback.

A friend of mine shared this with me, and I wanted to write about it. Many times we get a rejection, feel bad, and move on without asking ourselves why it failed and what we could have done better. If I were given a chance to go back, how could I use what I know to improve my performance?

Evaluation and reflection are critical. We need to spend more time thinking about how our actions influence the future than wandering and hoping for gold to fall from the sky. But let us be realistic—you won’t always get feedback from an interview or a job application, and their reasons for rejecting you might be as shallow as not liking the shirt you wore that day. That doesn’t matter. All that matters is for you to sit down and think, how am I going to make myself better than the woman/man I was before? What areas do I need to work on?

Once we do that, we can put them into action, whether that is by googling and learning about that weak area, dressing better, or even having confidence in ourselves. As we put things into motion, that is where we will harvest the fruits of our labor.

And finally, let us remember to put God in the middle of whatever we do. Some rejections are blessings in disguise. No matter how much we might have wanted that job, that person, or holiday, the “No” is there for a reason. It’s up to us to listen and be grateful for the blessing coming our way.