Rejection is part of the story.

It's certainly been part of mine.

The funny thing is, I'm in pretty good company.

Some guy was once told he wasn't creative enough. His name was Walt Disney.

A certain band was told nobody would listen to an orchestrated operatic rock song. (Hint: Bohemian Rhapsody says otherwise.)

These days, you can have the voice of an angel, but if you don't have enough followers on social media, some record labels won't even return your call.

My own rejection story was a little simpler:

"You're a girl." Before anyone knew whether I could sing. Before anyone knew whether I could front a band. Before I had a chance to prove anything.

I didn't want to stand next to the stage.

I didn't want to be somebody's groupie.

I wanted to be on that stage.

I wanted to be the one holding the microphone, connecting with the audience, and leading the band.

So I kept going.

Never give up.

Fake it till you make it.

Don't stop believin'. (See what I did there?)

Truthfully, I've always been on a mission. Actually, several missions.

The first is to encourage the next generation of women who dream about standing center stage and fronting a rock band.

If that's your dream, let me tell you something:

You can.

The second mission is to remind people that age is only a number.

Years ago, I started a summer job where the twenty-somethings were worried about the "old lady" joining the team.

I was forty.

They got over that stereotype pretty quickly.

Talent doesn't have an expiration date.

Neither do dreams.

Maybe that's why I still think about the little girl in the pink tutu.

She had no idea how many times she'd hear "no."

She had no idea how many doors would close.

She had no idea how long the journey would be.

But she was right.

As Kermit the Frog once said, here's to the lovers, the dreamers, and me.

And here's to everyone who's ever been told they couldn't:

Keep going.

Sometimes the best stories begin with rejection.

— Joni Vayda
Lead Vocalist, The Dead Air Saints