The Power of No




Rejection hurts no matter how softly it’s delivered. It took just one line in the brief letter to tell me they weren’t interested in my project. 

Rejected again. 

That’s the life of a grant-writer. You spend hours carefully crafting words about an exciting endeavor with provable results. All that’s needed is money. And then you wait to hear if a corporation or foundation will buy in.

I’ve heard no more times than I’ve heard yes. But quitting was never an option with needs stacked as high as they are in our small rural community. If I’ve learned anything from a decade of grant writing is the power of no. 

Every no has a lesson to learn. The no becomes the catalyst to look beyond the rejection letter, go back and rework the words to express the need more convincingly. And it works. Eventually. Good projects are always funded….eventually.







So there you have my word for the week—eventually. The power of no is that eventually it will be a yes. 

Have you heard a no recently? Maybe at work, or in a relationship? Maybe a job application, or from a friend? 

Don’t let a no stop you, let it give you power to keep going. Go back and rework your ideas or your words. The yes may take longer than you hoped and look different than you imagined, but all good things work out…..eventually.

Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful.   Proverbs 16:20a

Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more