Has 2026 been a total whirlwind for anybody else? I truly cannot believe it’s already March.
My February was filled with warm, homemade meals, interviews with queer elders, Penguin Classics, and of course, rejection.
pssst: wondering why I’m writing about rejection? Start here:
If you haven’t yet heard, in 2026 I’m trying to get 1,000 rejections. It all started with this post and skyrocketed from there.
February was a little quieter than January was for me—last month I heard back from quite a few opportunities that I’d applied to near the end of 2026—but this month was not without its highlights.
I received my most brutal rejection of the year in February. I was one of the final 6 candidates out of over 500 applicants for an associate director-level job that would have been a total dream. When I got that rejection email a few days after my interview, I may have shed a few tears. But I take solace in one thing: the hiring manager told me that four out of the final six candidates were DOGE’d federal employees, just like me. I sure hope one of my fellow fired feds got the job!
On the other end of the spectrum, I decided to push myself and cold-DM author Benny B. Peterson whose debut novel is coming out in May. They agreed to send me an advanced copy of the book and do an interview for Throughlines—stay tuned for that in May!
Rejection count: 11 this month, 22 overall
“No Response” count: 51 this month, 59 overall
Acceptance count: 4 this month, 6 overall
To make things slightly easier on myself (I am going for 1,000 of these, after all), I’m counting my “No Response” towards my rejection goal. So, for progress purposes, I have 84 rejections and six acceptances. That brings my Goal Completion to 8.3% and my Acceptance Rate to 7.23%.
I can’t lie to y’all—1,000 is an insane number to go for in a year. I’ve applied to 89 opportunities so far this year, and that’s not even ten percent of my goal! I’m going to have to step it up in March.
Introducing a new section to the 1,000 Rejections Challenge: Community Wins! To be honest, I get tired of hearing myself talk sometimes…it’s much more exciting to celebrate the wins and rejections of so many of you who are also taking part in the 1,000 Rejections Challenge.
My good friend (and day-one Throughlines supporter) Courtney published three articles in the American Society on Aging’s journal last month—her first time being published as the primary author on an academic journal!
Elizabeth Gonzalez got a piece of art accepted to the She:DC exhibit coming up this month. Congrats, Elizabeth!
me my soul got a win from their rejection therapy:
I’ve been inspired by Dylan Michael Julian’s progress and commitment to the challenge:
kirby is absolutely embracing the spirit of the rejections challenge (and going Substack viral for it—a win in itself, perhaps?):
Finally, though I imagine Glory Edim did not write her post below as part of this rejection challenge, I loved her take on rejection: “Not as a looming catastrophe, but as a companion to my ambition.”
It’s so exciting to see folks start to view rejection in a different light—who says a silly internet trend can’t get us meaningful results?
And for those of you going on this journey with me, let me know in the comments: How are things going for you so far? Where is your rejection count at for 2026? Let’s celebrate the uncomfortable together!
Rejection is hard. Let’s get through it together.
xoxo Ashley
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