What Happens When “No” Is the Best Answer They Could Give You?
This is your sign to pitch that high-reach publication.
On a recent college tour, my oldest daughter looked around Yale’s campus and said she was excited to apply. Then she added, “The worst thing they can do is say no.”
I almost laughed. I’ve said that phrase so many times this year, it’s basically become our family motto. But hearing her say it back to me? That’s when I knew this season of trying, failing, and trying again is bigger than me.
I’m showing my daughters what it looks like to take a leap, to hear no, and to keep going anyway.
From Fear of Failure to Big Swings
I used to have this thing against failure.
Which is ridiculous because I’m a mom and a teacher, and I have no problem telling my children and students that failing is a part of the learning process. But that was advice for them — not for me.
In 2023, I left the classroom for a job at a tech startup. I needed a change and some novelty. Startups are challenging, but finicky, and after a year, I lost my job. Unemployment hit me hard.
The experience helped me realize that sometimes failure happens through no fault of our own. And strangely, that kind of failure — the kind that wasn’t personal — gave me confidence. The sudden influx of free time also allowed me to try the thing I most wanted to do: write.
The First Yes
So, I started writing here on Medium. Just little essays for myself. The think pieces I used to joke about writing with friends.
Then, I realized you didn’t have to have an MFA to freelance. You just needed a good story, and one great thing about being a middle-aged woman is that I’ve accumulated so many stories.
Two weeks in, writing here on Medium gave me the courage to pitch HuffPost, and to my surprise, they said yes to my first pitch. I became a paid contributing writer, and my first article will come out later this year.
That first yes cracked something open in me.
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