SWSWSW-N!  You’re probably thinking what on earth do the letters above mean? Is it a typo?

I heard this on the news on the radio this morning. It is the working motto of the chief executive of a call center. This is his mantra to his staff who are trying to generate new customers by phoning them up.  When the other person either puts the phone down, ends the call abruptly or is just not interested, he wants them to go through this thought process.

So what does SWSWSW-N mean?

“Some will, some won’t. So what! Next.”

In other words, it’s the philosophy that says, “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. In the words of Our Lord, “shake the dust from your feet.”

So, when despite all your best efforts to achieve something important by persuasion, advocacy or persistence, you just don’t get anywhere, then SWSWSW -N might be a useful mechanism for emotional resilience to obstinacy.

That’s not an excuse to give up totally on individuals because the Lord never does, even if He has to wait and wait and wait.

One day we may need patience and forbearance of another. So, let’s never give the other an excuse to think SWSWSW-N.