How to Cope When You Cannot

A survival approach for revenue-generators, founders, and marketers on the tough days.

There are dark days.

I’m not talking about the poetic kind. I’m talking about the ones where you feel kicked in the ribs by your own ambition. The ones where the deal collapses after months of courtship. Where a campaign flops despite your best work. Where a team member you trusted resigns—and takes a piece of you with them. Where it all feels like too much.

If you’ve been in any revenue-generating role for long enough—founder, marketer, seller—you know what I mean. You’re doing everything right. You’re in the arena. And still, it’s not working.

Let’s talk about that moment. Because it’s not a glitch—it’s part of the path.

The Unique Pressure of Revenue Roles

Selling isn’t just about persuasion. You’re expected to deliver inflow, even though all you directly control is your outflow. You can’t force a signature on the dotted line. But you are expected to create the conditions for one. To educate, enlighten, position, and inspire. To move mountains—without touching them.

That gap between action and outcome is the space where self-doubt festers.

You might start questioning your worth—not just your work. Because when you’ve poured your soul into a project or a campaign, and the result isn’t what you hoped, it doesn’t just sting—it destabilizes. Especially if your pride is intertwined with performance (and if you’re any good, it usually is).

The Danger Isn’t Failure

Real failure doesn’t start when you lose a deal. It starts when you pause. Not the finite, dramatic kind. The quiet kind. The process of stopping. When the ideas slow down. When the calls stall. When you’re no longer leading the charge—but simply dragging your feet behind it.

That’s when danger creeps in. Because motion—any meaningful motion—is your way out. It’s your oxygen.

Action doesn’t mean chaos. It means deliberate steps toward resolution. It could be as simple as reviewing old campaign data, calling one lead, crafting a new message, refining a pitch, recruiting someone. You don’t need to feel great—you just need to feel good enough to move.

When You Need to Vent

There’s no shame in the weight. If you need to scream into a pillow, do it. If you need to call someone just to be heard, do it. But make the goal of that conversation clear—relief, not reinforcement. Choose your person wisely. Don’t go to someone who’ll spiral with you. Go to someone who’ll acknowledge you, ground you, and hand you your gear back so you can get back into the arena.

It’s not about advice. It’s about exhale.

Personal Power vs. Retaliation Energy

When you’re down, the temptation to fight back against the world is real. Maybe someone let you down. Maybe they walked away at the worst possible time. Maybe they threw you under the bus.

You’ll want to show them. But here’s the truth: retaliation is the cheapest kind of motivation. Real power is doing it for you. Use that energy to build yourself up. To build something better. That’s the real flex.

You owe yourself your own success. Don’t hand that gift to someone else—especially not to prove a point.

Stay in the Game

You don’t have to be joyful every second of the day. You just have to be operational. You just need to do the next right thing. And then the one after that. That’s the only way through the thicket.

Action keeps the door to hope open. It tells your nervous system: “We’re not done yet.” And when you’re not done, you’re still dangerous—in the best way.

So if you’re in a dark patch: feel it, name it, vent it—but don’t stop. You’re allowed to fall to your knees. Just do it facing forward.

And when you’re ready, pick up the phone. Open the spreadsheet. Write the copy. Build the landing page. Whatever your next play is—make it.

Final Thought

You’re all you’ve got. Take care of you. Stay in motion. Stay in truth. And know this: even when it feels like you simply cannot, you still can—one inch at a time.

See you Tuesday,

KG