I was at a festival in Hawaii, waiting in line to get some delicious sushi.
After waiting 30+ minutes, the vendor told me that the sushi had run out.
Boohoo, no sushi love for me.
But hold on, that's not the end of it. I then joined another line, thinking it's time to get some miso butterfish bento. Except, by the time I got there (which took another 20+ minutes), all the bentos were gone!
Rejection number two.
So far, the night doesn’t seem so great, right?
But there's another side to this story.
If I hadn't been kicked to the curb from that first line, I wouldn't have found myself in the second line. And that's where I met a charming girl, who was in the same line, standing right behind me.
We chatted for a bit, and it was fun.
I didn’t get her number though because I was hungry, and I forgot.
After getting rejected by the second line, my friends came to the rescue.
They saw me sulking and drove me to a nearby McDonald’s, where I bought a Big Mac with no cheese for around $6.50.
The taste? Oh boy, it hit the spot like a pro. It’s been over a year since I had any McDonald’s, so trust me when I tell you it tasted AMAZING, like a victory feast.
Now, hold on to your hat, because here's where the wisdom comes in. I believe that most rejections are simply redirections. Just like how my night full of rejections — no sushi, no miso butterfish — has taken a delightful turn, I believe this applies to most rejections in life.
The same thing happened when I applied to work for AppSumo.com. After two rounds of interviews, I didn’t get the job.
However, I did somehow end up working with Noah Kagan, the CEO of AppSumo, for his personal YouTube channel. It was awesome! I don’t think I would’ve been able to work with Noah directly if I got the AppSumo job I initially applied to.
Therefore, most rejections are just redirections for something better.
If you enjoyed today’s post, reply to this email and tell me about your favorite bento or plate lunch.
As always, thanks for reading!
-George 🐙