Restarting BD Without Guilt

​The last couple of weeks gave me a good reminder of something I don’t say often enough.
It’s okay to step away.

We hosted family here in the mountains over Christmas, and we got lucky. Snow falling throughout the day. Quiet. The kind of white Christmas that feels like you’re inside a snow globe. No rushing anywhere. Just being together.

Then my wife, Aja, and I took the kids to San Diego to spend the last week of the year with her family. And for once, I really disconnected. No half-working. No checking email just in case. I was present with them and gave myself permission to be off without guilt.

Now I’m back, rested, clear-headed, and starting the year with full batteries.
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That reset made me think about what I see with a lot of professionals in early January.

​They come back carrying a low-level sense of guilt. About

• Outreach that didn’t happen.
• Momentum that slowed.
• Feeling like they should already be further along.

The pause isn’t the problem. Most people needed it.

What gets in the way is the idea that you have to make up for lost time. That January requires a big push, a perfect plan, or some dramatic restart to get back on track.

It doesn’t.

Momentum usually comes back the same way it started. Quietly.

• One thoughtful note to a client you’ve been meaning to check in with.
• One coffee scheduled for later this month.
• One genuine question sent without an agenda.

That’s enough to put you back in the conversation.

I’ve noticed that people who struggle to restart often wait until they feel organized or caught up. But that feeling tends to show up after you take action, not before.

As I start sharing more of the thinking behind my book ahead of its March 3 launch, I keep coming back to this idea.

Consistency isn’t about never stopping. It’s about knowing how to step back in without overthinking it or judging yourself for the pause.

This week, don’t try to make up for anything. Don’t apologize for taking a break. Don’t turn this into a project.

Take one small step back into the conversation.

What to take away from this
Rest doesn’t erase momentum. Overthinking does.

How to act on it
Pick one simple BD action you can do today. Send one note. Set one meeting. Ask one real question. Then stop there.
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You don’t need urgency; you just need to move.