At this point in our lives, I’m sure that we have all had our fair share of rejection. Not to trivialize dating rejection because we all know how much it can hurt, but sometimes it’s scholastic and work rejection that can hurt even more.

When applying for scholarships, awards, graduate schools, job positions and the like, we put in all of ourselves—all of the work that we have done up to that point to prove that we deserve it. But, sometimes despite our best efforts, we don’t fare as well as we had hoped.

What makes academic and work rejection hurt more than dating rejection is that fact that it is a tangible rejection. Typically, we are notified via an e-mail or snail mail. With dating rejection it is typically verbal, so there is nothing physical to hold onto.

But, what do you do with all the rejection letters and e-mails?

Clearly, the first idea that comes to mind is to throw them away and delete them from your inbox. But, why not hold on to them? I know that it sounds kind of strange, but they can be helpful. To clarify, I am not saying to keep them to feel sorry about yourself, but turn them into something positive.

I once heard of someone who plastered all his rejection letters to a wall in his office. While it may seem a bit odd, since many people hang their accomplishments on their wall, this man used his letters for a similar sense of achievement. Looking at the letters, they reminded him off how far he had come and gave him the motivation to keep trying.

Next time you get a rejection letter, instead of tearing yourself up about it, hold onto it. Maybe it’s not something that you will be able to look at in the following few weeks, but at some point in your life, you will be able to look back and feel a sense of satisfaction of all that you’ve accomplished.