Over 10 years in a variety of sales roles has given me plenty of experience with the uneasy feeling of an empty pipeline.
There are weeks that fly by with calls, appointments, estimates, and serving the client through delivery or project completion… and suddenly you’re back at zero.
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, and I imagine that workshop to be dark enough to warrant an OSHA violation.
But I’ve learned that no matter the “reason”—the market is down, you feel down, things are harder, it feels slow, and nothing’s moving…
You cannot sit in the slump.
Where you are now is just one point on the graph of your personal and professional growth.
When you start something for the first time, everything is hard. Over time, you grow in skill and what was hard becomes natural. But each level in the pursuit of higher skill and achievement demands more of you and your team.
New levels, new devils.
Fear comes when what was once uncomfortable is now comfortable—then you doubt yourself because you feel uncomfortable again, causing you to slow, stop, and stall.
So it seems like you’re stuck.
Reality: you can go to another level; you’re just avoiding the “devil” you have to kill to get there.
If you’re not making forward progress, the last thing you should do is stop moving.
There are a few empty pots and buckets in my backyard. After a good rain, I’ll find them filled with dirty water—stagnant and attracting mosquitos.
If the water were moving, this wouldn’t be the case. Streams move. They attract life. You can drink from moving water. Movement brings movement.
If you’re feeling slowed this September, don’t stop.
Step into the S.T.R.E.A.M.
Power Acronym 200: S.T.R.E.A.M.
When you’re stuck, stagnant, or feeling the September Slump… get in the STREAM.
S — Shift your focus. Count the wins you’ve already made. Momentum starts where it already exists.
T — Take one high-leverage action. Add a single meaningful move to this week’s plan.
R — Reverse-engineer your result. Start with the outcome and work backward to today’s first step.
E — Energize momentum. Small, consistent movement compounds—keep the water flowing.
A — Accept discomfort as growth. The “wall” is usually the doorway to the next level.
M — Make it who you are. Don’t just do the actions—become the person who moves, adapts, and grows.
Now:
Recall your wins. What moved this week? Double down on it.
Pick one high-leverage action. Don’t obsess over the result—reverse engineer the steps that would produce the result you’re looking for. Then move.
Owners: your team may be in this slump—share the STREAM with them.
Leaders & teammates: become the person who does these things.
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water… Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
— Bruce Lee