Past mistakes, failures, all are a gift.

On May 18, Taylor Swift, the world-famous country music princess, officially received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University (USA).

In the eyes of many people, Taylor Swift – an 11-time Grammy Award winner with 55.5 million monthly song streams on Spotify – seems to be too used to success.

But at New York University’s commencement ceremony, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter told graduates that the glow she has today is the result of something else: moments of rejection.

Taylor Swift at New York University’s commencement ceremony

“The times I was told ‘no’ or wasn’t allowed to participate, wasn’t chosen, didn’t win, wasn’t met… when I look back, I realize that those were the important moments, more important than the others. when I was told ‘yes’.”

As a child, Taylor was very disappointed when she was not invited to a slumber party, she felt extremely lonely. At times like that, she sits alone in her room to write songs that “help me get a ticket somewhere else”.

She also tried to connect with music executives at age 13 and received a lukewarm response that “only 35-year-old housewives listen to country music.” And after a bout of crying on the way home after receiving that statement, Taylor posted songs on MySpace and connected online with other teenage fans.

Focusing on her music and herself – instead of just focusing on being told “no” – has helped Taylor pay off handsomely. The development deal she signed at age 13 led to a songwriting contract a year later. By age 15, she had a recording contract, and released her first studio album in 2006 at age 16. Her follow-up album “Fearless” won four Grammy Awards, including the Album of the year, in 2010.

The fact that the press wrote reviews and comments that made Taylor feel like “she was living in a strange clone” made Taylor once again look at herself accurately, to know who she truly is. who is…

The way Taylor reacts to her moments of disappointment and discouragement is worth learning from.

Learn to live with unpleasant experiences

While the spotlight brings even more pressure, forcing Taylor to feel like she has to live through a “lens of perfectionism,” her advice for other young people is: Learn to live with unpleasant experiences.

“You may slip your words, trust the wrong person, react carelessly, overreact, hurt people who don’t deserve it… Selling will let the guilt eat deep into you until the very end. Finally you deal with the pain you caused, try to do better next time, shake it off, and do it again.”

Navigating missteps and rejections can help you “draw your own path.”

“My experience is that it’s the mistakes that have led to the best things in my life,” Taylor said. “Feeling embarrassed when you do something bad? As humans, everyone has to go through that. Stand up, brush off the “dust”, then see who still wants to hang out with you afterwards and smile about it, it’s a gift.”

Navigating missteps and rejections can help you “draw your own path.”

Life is a combination of ups and downs, no one has smooth sailing all their life, everyone will make mistakes, everyone will experience times when things are not as expected, but just like Leon Festinger, psychologist An American sociologist once said: “10% of life is made up of what happens to you, the remaining 90% is determined by how you react to those things.” Choosing to stand up after failures, choosing to continuously pursue your goals, or letting disappointments and boredom eat away at you, it all depends on your own decision.

Hope you and I, we are all resilient in the face of life’s storms, hope you and I can be like Taylor, “stand up, brush off the ‘dust’, smile and say goodbye.” separate from what has passed, then revive the spirit, continue to pursue the sunshine ahead.