Min-Woo Park

The first stage of grief is DENIAL. You can’t believe your CD just killed your idea. You start telling yourself that this rejection isn’t real, that none of this is really happening. You deny the truth because the truth hurts. DENIAL is our defense mechanism against deep loss.

The next stage of grief is ANGER. Being angry at your CD helps you deal with the loss of your precious idea. ANGER allows you to channel your intense emotions. It’s a temporary release from the pain. Sometimes it’s better to feel something than nothing.

The third stage of grief is BARGAINING. You’re gripped by a sense of guilt. Maybe you didn’t do everything you could to save your idea. Maybe you could have explained your idea better, made better comps. You try negotiating or BARGAINING with your CD for a different outcome.

The fourth stage of grief is DEPRESSION. You fall into a deep state of sadness. The loss that you’re feeling weighs heavily down on you. Your idea was a part of you. Now that it’s gone, it’s like a part of you is missing. What’s the point of trying? What’s the point of anything at all?

The final stage of grief is ACCEPTANCE. You finally accept the reality of your loss. You learn to move on with your life. ACCEPTANCE doesn’t mean that you feel totally fine. But it does mean that you can make peace with the pain and move on to your thousands of other good ideas.