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Most people are so scared of rejection that very few ever learn to reap its benefits. What they don't realize is that learning to take rejection is one of life's most important skills and, like any skill, it takes practice to perfect.

Imagine, for a second, that the word 'no' wasn't a scary one. Imagine it didn't represent failure or disappointment or humiliation. Instead, it was just two letters - letters that could be translated to 'keep trying' or 'not this time' or 'something better is waiting for you around the corner'.

That's how people who have learned to take rejection see it. Similar to a craft such as public speaking, successfully conquering your fear of rejection involves putting yourself out there - again and again - until you become immune to its deflating powers.

If you approach rejection as something to learn from, rather than fear, it will not only become easier to take but it will give you the power to take more chances, seek more opportunities - and learn more about yourself.

While I can't remember the very first time I was rejected, I can remember specific rejections that have influenced my life. I remember being dumped for the first time and feeling the excruciating pain of a broken heart. I remember the unbelievably long amount of time it took for that heart to heal, the things that made it feel better and the different stages of recovery. The next time I was dumped, my recovery time was cut in half - and, eventually, it became so easy that I wasn't afraid to filter through a number of wrong relationships to find the right one.

I remember being rejected after my first job interview, forcing me to analyze the things that went right and wrong. The reflection allowed me to address the nervousness I felt in interviews and my lack of confidence in my own abilities. It also introduced me to the interview process - something I had never experienced - and prepared me for the working world. While I'm still not great at being interviewed, I'm confident that a little more practice - and a few more rejections - is the precise remedy I need.

The point is, people who avoid rejection are losing out. They're missing important practice that allows them to be better people - to self reflect and learn about themselves. It's only by embracing rejection head on that we will eventually be able to strip it of its scariness and transform it into a mundane, everyday event - and truly experience everything life has to offer.

Learn more about this author, Vanessa Chris.
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