Overcoming Rejection to Fulfill Our Dreams
About eight or nine years ago, I sat down to write a book that I felt deeply passionate about. As a mother, businesswoman, and life strategist, I knew firsthand how challenging parenting could be, especially when dealing with the unknown. Parents face endless uncertainty: Will our children be okay? Are we doing enough for them? How do we manage when things go wrong? How will our children be alright in a world of gun violence, terrorism, global warming, and pandemics?
The book I wrote, Maybe Everything is Okay: A Parent’s Guide to Less Stress and Worry, was meant to help parents navigate these uncertainties. It offered a mindset called Maybe, a simple yet powerful idea that had helped me in my own life. Maybe reminds us that even when things are challenging, uncertainty holds potential, and outcomes can be beneficial. It teaches us to stay open to paths we can’t yet see and find peace in the moment, even in the unknown.
I was excited to share this idea with the world when I finished writing. I truly believed this book could help parents reduce their stress and live more fully. I sent the manuscript to my literary agent, Linda Chester, who had helped me publish The Gift of Maybe with Penguin Random House in 2014. She was confident in the book, too, and we sent it out to several publishers. That’s when the rejections started rolling in.
Publisher after publisher said no, telling us the parenting market was too competitive and they weren’t willing to take the risk. I didn’t have a book deal, but I believed in uncertainty and the power of Maybe, so I kept going. Despite all our efforts, the book never found a home, and eventually, my agent and I parted ways. I continued searching for a new agent and, through connections, managed to get the book in front of more publishers—only to face even more rejections.
In 2020, I found a new agent for another book I had written, A Year Without Men: A 12-Point Guide to Inspire and Empower Women. We sold the book to Skyhorse Publishing, and it was released in 2021. They had the right of first refusal for my next book, but they didn’t want my parenting book either. My agent chose not to represent my parenting book further, leaving me without an agent or a clear path forward.
All I knew was that the future was uncertain, which meant there was still hope. I carried on with my other projects—my podcast, articles, and writing a new book—but I remained determined to get my parenting book published one day. Over the years, I kept trying. I sent it to new agents, hoping someone would take it on, but I kept hearing the same thing: the parenting market was oversaturated, and publishers just weren’t interested.
The Power of Maybe
I talk a lot about the Maybe mindset in my work, and this situation was a perfect example of how it sustained me. Maybe is about embracing uncertainty. It’s about accepting that we don’t know what will happen next—and that’s not always a bad thing. Uncertainty holds possibilities. Maybe the rejection I was experiencing wasn’t the end. Maybe there was another path I couldn’t yet see. Every time I got rejected, I reminded myself: Maybe this isn’t the right publisher, but there’s another one out there. Or Maybe the timing isn’t right, but it will be one day.
It can be challenging to stay open to uncertainty when things aren’t going your way, but I kept holding onto the idea that Maybe there was still hope for this book. And then something unexpected happened.
An Unexpected Opportunity
After years of trying to get Maybe Everything is Okay published, Penguin Random House sold the audio rights to my first book, The Gift of Maybe, to Tantor Audio, one of the top audiobook publishers in the country. It was released in 2023—a dream come true! I hadn’t planned on pitching my parenting book to Tantor, but one day, I thought, “Why not? Maybe this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.”
With the help of my publicist, Tantor Audio loved the book, and after a few conversations, they made me an offer to publish it as an audiobook exclusive. After all those years of trying and facing rejections, my book will finally be published!
Why You Should Hold Onto Your Dreams?
I’m sharing this story because I want you to know that if you have a dream—whether it’s writing a book, starting a business, or pursuing any passion—don’t give up just because the road is challenging or unclear. I know how easy it is to get discouraged when things aren’t happening on the timeline you want or when people don’t seem to understand your vision.
But just because you’re facing rejection doesn’t mean your idea isn’t valid. It doesn’t mean it won’t find its place in the world one day. Too often, we give up on our dreams because we don’t see immediate results, or we’re afraid that if it’s not happening now, it never will. But Maybe that’s not true.
In my case, it took nearly a decade for this book to find its way into the world. But every step of the journey taught me something. Each rejection wasn’t the end—it was just part of the process. And now, looking back, I can see that the timing wasn’t right until now. I wasn’t ready, and the world wasn’t ready. But Maybe is what kept me going, and it’s what can keep you going, too.
How to Embrace Maybe and Keep Going
Every time you get rejected, try asking yourself: Are you absolutely certain that your dream won’t come true? The beauty of uncertainty is that we can’t be certain of anything, including our fears, doubts, and negativity. And that means there’s always hope. Sure, things might not work out to our liking. You can think of this as the “maybe not.” But that is just one piece of uncertainty. The unknown also offers another side of Maybe. Maybe the unfolding events are beneficial. Maybe we can accept them and still be okay. Maybe things can improve.
The Maybe mindset instills hope, motivating us to get out of bed in the morning. It gives us enough hope to create new businesses even when the economy is uncertain, to begin a new life even when we are heartbroken, or to help us ease through small, unexpected challenges each day so they don’t linger and grow. It also helps us hold onto a creative project until the path opens to share it with the world.
So, whatever you’re working toward, don’t give up. Keep going, keep believing, and keep holding onto Maybe. Because, for all you know, maybe the best is yet to come!
Originally Published in Psychology Today