“Some will, some won’t; so what – someone is waiting” is from Jack Canfield and his, “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.” Jack also refers to it a “SWSWSWSW” or as I heard someone once say, “SW to the fourth.”
When we make a request or have an ask, some people are going to say yes, and some are going to say no. We can influence that decision but can’t control it. Our mindset should then be that since we cannot control it, so what and move forward. There will be someone downstream who will say yes, someone waiting for us and our ideas.
As I am writing this blog, we are going through the process of selling our house. As I consider how many showings we will get, how they will go, what others will think of our house, these are the many thoughts that go through my head. It is fitting to reflect on these words. There is the right person out there somewhere for this house. Plus, I am now learning the buying process is just the same.
We all like to hear the word ‘yes,’ it can be exhilarating and affirming. In some extreme cases, leaders have been known to surround themselves with ‘yes men’ because it fuels their ego. In the same manner, the word ‘no’ isn’t always easy to hear. No can shut a door that forces us to explore other options. It can sting, but it is part of life. If we are fortunate, we’ve established a life sprinkled with plenty of ‘yes’ and an occasional ‘no’.
Both yes and no can lead to change. Either can make us stronger and wiser. Whether some will or some won’t, the next step is, “what now?” Phrased differently, “so what.” It is always our reaction or response to the things in life
that dictate the next step of our journey. A phrase coined at the University of Alabama Football program and used constantly during their 2015 National Championship run is “So What, Now What.” Regardless of what has happened, what will come next. There is always more. Someone, or possibly something, is waiting. It might take time, it might be in a much different shape or form than imagined, but there are no dead ends – someone, or something, is waiting.
This is a great outlook for rejection, loss, or when things are not going according to plan. I have seen this expression as a sales mantra which can also be applied to fundraising. Some will purchase the products, services or give money; some won’t; so what; keep working for the someone who is waiting. I have been able to witness this in practice, even coach to it, with my daughter’s job searches. The SWSWSWSW strategy is highly effective in this matter. If one prospective employer passes because it is not the right fit, remember there is another other company waiting for our skills and talents.
Although he didn’t use this expression, I was taught this mentality by my college secondary coach. He coached us 
that there will be times we make the play, but there will also be times we don’t make the play. In either case, be prepared to move on as the next play is about to happen. We couldn’t dwell on the past. As Ted Lasso says, have the ten second memory of a goldfish. My golf game also mirrors this as some shots I hit are good, some (actually most) are not so good, but so what, there is the next shot to hit.
“Shake the dust from your feet” is a command spoken by Jesus to His disciples in the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5 as well as 10:11). The expression also appears in the Acts of the Apostles (13:51). This command occurs in the ‘Limited Commission’ where Jesus limited His disciples’ work by only sending them among the Jews, even specifically prohibiting them from going among the Gentiles and Samaritans. Jesus knew not everyone would welcome the gospel. Some would accept it, and some would not – even violently rejecting it. Jesus was telling the disciples, so what and move on. There were others, “to the ends of the earth,” the Great Commission, that were waiting to hear the message. Jesus was telling His disciples that they were not responsible for the level of acceptance, only for their own obedience to God.
God has given us the freedom to move on, to figuratively “shake the dust off our feet” and move on. It is what it is – God’s Plan. Thy will be done. Someone is always waiting.
