How do you handle rejection? If you knew how many people swiped left on your tinder, would it bother you? How many jobs or colleges have you applied to and been turned down? Or how about asking someone on a date? We all experience these at some time in our life. For some people, rejection can cause feelings of anger, disappointment, stress, or even depression. Yet like all things in our life, you can control how this affects you.

Have you noticed that some people are less deterred by rejection? There are a few characteristics that can help a person handle rejection. And most importantly, anyone can develop these characteristics. Being self-confident, self-reliant, and having strong self-esteem can prepare you to deal with rejection. Oddly enough, dealing with rejection can develop these characteristics.

People who have worked in retail sales and telemarketing deal with high rates of rejection. Any activity or job that puts you in a position to deal with strangers on a routine basis will develop this for you. The more ‘meaningless’ rejection you experience, the more likely you are to develop a “tough skin”. So, go out there. Ask that cute guy or girl for a date. Volunteer with a non-profit that needs staff to get people to take surveys. Try a part time job in retail sales.

Being rejected is okay. It doesn’t mean that you’re not an awesome person. It may just mean that your proposal wasn’t a good fit for the person you were approaching.