There are few things in this life that are guaranteed. Death. Taxes. Rejection (emphasis on that last one). Rejection is one of those beasts you face your entire life. Elementary school friends, middle school coaches, high school prom dates, college internships, post-grad jobs. She used to scare me, like the monster under my bed, but now I find comfort in knowing that she has yet to defeat me.

The summer before my senior year of college, I sent out over sixty internship applications and received back plenty of those kind emails telling you how wonderful you seem, but that the other candidates are just bringing a little more to the table. It’s like you stopped at the store to grab cookies for the picnic and Joe Shmoe whipped out grandma’s family recipe… yours were good, theirs were better.

“Nevertheless, she persisted.”

And that I did. I’ve grabbed at every opportunity I could find the past months. Social media management, freelance design, axe coaching, and then some. On days I didn’t believe in myself, I had people who believed in me and because of them, I refused to give up.

I haven’t had my “I did it” moment yet, but I’d like to think I’m on the path that leads to it. And on the days where I take a wrong turn I just remind myself of one simple word…

Resilience.