How do you define rejection?
Rejection is traditionally defined as the dismissal or refusing of a proposal or idea. Athletes are always striving for more, asking for a place, and a chance to be greater. But the truth is athletes at one point in their journey will be rejected.
Everyday countless athletes are rejected by coaches and organizations, whether it’s a revoked or declined athletic scholarship, simply being benched, or cut completely. However, their fate of moving forward is determined by how the athlete faces the mortifying blow rejection creates.
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, is an athlete who has experienced severe rejection, and I’m not referring to what occurred with him in the NFL. Years before Kaepernick would quarterback the San Francisco Forty-Niners to the Super Bowl, he experienced rejection while playing high school football, though it should be noted that he had many division one offers for college baseball. His love for football was bigger than what any professional baseball career could provide. Therefore, he didn’t give up and kept working on himself, even in the presence of uncertainty in his football career. After being rejected by every single division one college football program in the United States, his senior year of high school, he received a college football scholarship offer, which came from the University of Nevada, Reno and went on to be a widely discussed NFL quarterback.
In order to become successful in your sport your work ethic, passion, and love for it has to be bigger than any “no”, any opinion, and any rejection you are guaranteed to face. Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant once said, “Everything negative – pressure, challenges, is all an opportunity for me to rise.” and “Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.” The meaning here is, every step back should fuel and push you forward even more. It’s all about your mindset.
As an athlete, you either choose to let failure and rejection crush your chances of succeeding, or you can use it as fuel to become irresistible because hard work and success now shines through you.