High Fives!

One of my first visitors yesterday morning was an aspiring writer.  This girl is amazing; penning, rewriting, and observing the world.  She is so passionate about the written word that she co-founded the student Writing Club, where Donegal kids can share ideas and inspiration with each other.  One of her goals for this year is to get something she has written actually published in a print source.  She was excited to share a recent letter she had received.

It was her first official rejection letter.

Did I offer a hug and consolation?  Absolutely not.  I gave her a high five, and a whitebook to record this momentous occasion.  Judging from the photo to the right, (used with her permission), she has clearly signed on to the idea of growth through embracing and celebrating failure (aka alternate success).  

Her Facebook post this morning, along with the photo of the newly-decorated whitebook, speaks volumes:

"I submitted one of my pieces to a writing magazine, and it didn't make the cut. I guess you could say I'm taking it well... "

Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, Abraham Lincoln, Lucille Ball, and thousands of others, were rejected before they made it big.  Heck, Steve Jobs was fired by his own company.  Back in 2009, my daughter and I attended the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA.  Burton must have known he was going to make it big, because he had saved many early pieces of ephemera, including a signed rejection letter from the Disney Corporation, which was there on display, in the MoMA, in a climate-controlled case, scrutinized by thousands of fans who had paid to see the exhibit celebrating Burton's work.  Clearly, the rejection was not the end of the road for the brilliantly creative Mr. Burton.

So yes, high fives for the very first rejection letter, and a shout out to Rachel for her risk-taking and embracing of this very important step on the path to success.  It's a privilege to be on the ground floor of this exciting adventure, watching, and celebrating, as she builds her collection for her MoMA exhibit, which I estimate should be tentatively scheduled for sometime in 2048.