Rejection 63: Evil Queen and the Six Snow Whites

No matter where you are from, you were probably taught not to take snacks from strangers at a young age. It doesn't help that poisoned candy myths are very prevalent in the world. Moreover, apples have very special meaning in our culture, whether it's Adam and Eve's temptation, Isaac Newton's inspiration, or the popular computer company that is richer than the US government. One of the favorite fairy tale in the world is Snow White, whose experience with apple didn't go too well.

I wanted to see if I could combine all these emotions and re-enact the Snow White scene, by offering apples to random adults.

I became hopeful after the first encounter, then felt disappointed after four consecutive rejections. I shouldn't have, since in rejection therapy, a rejection is a win. However, after an initial acceptance, my expectation changed and thus the feeling after a rejection.

In the end, acceptance or rejection, I wanted to engage in a conversation so I could understand the underlying reason. Fortunately, the last lady crammed more words in a two-minutes conversation than the population of Vatican City. Because of that explanation, it confirmed my hypothesis that grownups don't want to take food from strangers for the same reason that children do. For that, I really appreciate her honesty.

Learning: 1. The feeling after a rejection often has a lot to do with expectations. Rejection blended with disappointment could be a nasty drink to swallow. That's why rejection therapy is a great tool for life, because it get you used to the taste with non-critical requests, so you aren't afraid to make critical requests despite the emotional aftermath. 2. Getting to know the non-BS reason for a rejection is often liberating, because it lights a path for future improvement for the rejectee. That's why I often advocate that we need to be both kind and honest when giving rejections. The "it's not you, it's me" line is more a cop out than kindness.