Another Step . . . Backward?

My story was not accepted for publication. Obviously, this means that:

My story is terrible, I am a bad writer, and I should never submit this or any other piece of writing ever again.

Or, the person who read my submission was ill-equipped to recognize my genius.

Or, I need to workshop the story and revise it to be more appealing in the current publishing atmosphere.

Or, I should continue to work on it unaided as to keep my vision pure and unbesmirched by commercial considerations.

Or, I should take this failed attempt as a sign that my efforts would be better directed toward another realm of endeavor. Dogwalking, for example.

Or. then again, weren't most of the best writers throughout history rejected at first? Wouldn't it be ridiculous to give up after the first try?

Or, this judgment of my story means that no one would ever want to publish it in any form.

Or, I picked the wrong journal for my story; I just need to find one that fits my style better.

Or, I should ask people I know in the writing/publishing world for help, because obviously I have no idea what I'm doing.

But, I'm not ready for anyone I know to read the whole story. I'm only comfortable with total strangers doing that.

But, I did let a friend read the first section.

But, that was a friend I knew would be encouraging and not critical.

But, isn't the point of publishing anything to make it public, which means that anyone, whether I know them personally or not, would potentially be able to read the story?

But, if I publish it in an obscure enough magazine or journal, no one I actually know would read it because they would never come across it, but I would be able to say, yes, my story was published!

So, the way forward is plain: Find a little-known, unheard-of, insignificant journal (edited by a heretofore-unrecognized genius!) that will be only too happy to get any submission that they will have absolutely no choice but to publish my story, which will then be anthologized everywhere and make me famous, thereby putting the little journal on the literary map as my first publisher! We will make history, and everyone will envy me so much it won't matter if they actually like my story or not! It's obvious!

It's so obvious.

Or, maybe I should work on my story some more, research some other journals, and submit the story to several decent-sounding ones, and while I wait to hear back, keep writing.

Yes, it's obvious.

Or, I should consider self-publishing.