Arthur Brooks, the Prof of Happiness studies at Harvard, told an audience that people seek on of four centers:
- Money
- Power
- Pleasure
- Fame
We seem to share a focus on being recognized for the good work that we do. He has achieved fame through his efforts over an adult lifetime. When I add to my body of work it gets few views. When I submit something worthy of print where many will read, a rejection note or no notification at all indicates I've been turned down.
All performers, artists, writers, and quite a lot of university applicants accumulate denials, often in very high volume. It only takes a few successes, though, to offset the many rejections. No matter how expected, getting turned down has an intrinsic sting. Despite this, the rational analyst in me finds an upside. If I never got turned down, would I ever learn where my peak achievement could be? Unlikely.
Lot's of successful people have failures. The 0.330 hitter may be an all-star but he only gets a hit one third of the time. Superbowl quarterbacks complete about half their passes. Most can expect a sack or two per game. Actors go to unfruitful auditions. I see paintings for sale in various places that I visit. Most will remain in their place the next time I visit.
It's easy to get spoiled. Every day I read a few publications that have bypassed my work. Each has other work in print. Somebody gets selected. Mostly somebody else.
On reviewing how to get a better outcome, often guided by professionals, their score does not seem all that high. What they do that I don't is take more shots on goal. When my work gets rejected, I put it aside in favor of a different article to a different destination. Maybe it would be better to have a collection of my five best submitted to different places at the same time.
My deterrent though, seems to be my own ego. Somebody else's opinion of my output becomes my default opinion. It shouldn't. The rational analyst needs to overcome the more fragile seeker of approval.
