Are we there yet?!
There’s a children’s book from the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems called Waiting Is Not Easy! (IYKYK)
Elephant spends the entire book dramatically suffering through waiting for a surprise.
Totally relatable.
I’m halfway through my 6-week recovery from spinal fusion surgery, and physically, I feel… fine. Which is both great and super annoying.
Because internally, there’s still a lot happening I can’t see: bones healing, nerves settling, fusion slowly taking place over time. Healing that absolutely cannot be rushed.
And in a community like Central Park, where everyone seems to be walking to coffee, jogging with friends, visiting a heavenly sauna, heading to Pilates, biking around the neighborhood, doing less feels really hard.
Business can feel this way too.
You launch the offer.
Submit the proposal.
Send the pitch.
🎉 Great. The information is out in the world.
Now comes the hard part: waiting.
What if no one buys?
What if the timing is off?
What if I should’ve done something differently?
Unfortunately, there’s only one thing that answers those questions:
Time. (Sorry.)
So while you wait, here are a few better uses of your energy than emotionally refreshing your inbox every six minutes:
💪 Coach’s Cues
Prepare for the opportunity you say you want
If the proposal gets accepted or the client says yes… are you actually ready?
Use the waiting period to:
- update your website
- tighten your onboarding process
- organize your systems
- clarify your messaging
Don’t spend the waiting period panicking. Build the infrastructure your future growth will need.
Strengthen relationships without an agenda
Waiting seasons are a great time to reconnect with people outside of immediate transactions.
- Send the text you’ve been meaning to send
- Write the thank-you note
- Set up the coffee date
- Support another Central Park small business
Not every meaningful investment gives you immediate feedback (and that’s okay).
Don’t confuse silence with failure
No response doesn’t automatically mean:
- the idea is bad
- the launch flopped
- they hated the proposal
- you need to pivot immediately
Sometimes the timeline simply isn’t yours to control.
Before changing direction, ask:
- Have I actually given this enough time?
- Am I responding to data or discomfort?
- What would consistency look like for two more weeks?
Sometimes progress is happening underneath the surface long before you can see proof of it.
Consider this perspective: the skill isn’t learning how to force results faster, it’s learning how to stay steady before the payoff arrives.
You can’t rush the payoff. But you can decide how you use the waiting period.
If you want support navigating that season in your business, I have 2 spots open for my 4-session coaching sprint – grab one here!
