A client recently emailed me with an update on his business—nothing unusual there. What struck me wasn’t the details of the project he was negotiating (he had that fully under control), but one line buried in the middle of the message: “Other than one client, this is my only work on the books after 3/31 … it feels like I’m starting over.”
The moment I read this, I knew exactly what he meant. Not because of his situation—but because of how many times I’ve been there.
I’ve felt that same instinctive tightening in my gut when the calendar starts to thin out. I’ve heard the creeping narrative that whispers, “You need work—any work.” And, “You’re starting over … again.”
It’s a lie. But it’s a powerful one.
The Lie of Scarcity
When the future looks bleak, our minds go into protection mode. For those of us who own businesses, lead companies, or build something on our own, the lie shows up quickly and loudly:
- “I need work—any work.”
- “I can’t slow down now.”
- “Something must be wrong.”
- “The future won’t match the past.”
I’ve bought into that lie more than once, and it has never served me.
In fact, the worst decisions I’ve made in my consulting and coaching practice all stemmed from moments when I panicked about the future. I said “yes” to work I should have said “no” to. I took on clients who weren’t a fit. I accepted projects outside my gift package—stretching myself thinly, doing work that drained my energy instead of fueling it.
Every time, I paid the price with:
- unnecessary stress,
- resentment,
- and the slow erosion of joy in the work.
Not because the future was bad … but because I believed a story about it that wasn’t true.
Margin Isn’t a Mistake—It’s a Message
When my client shared his worry about feeling like he was “starting over,” my immediate instinct wasn’t to reassure him with numbers or projections. It was to remind him—remind us—of something deeper:
Sometimes God gives us margin on purpose. Not because something’s wrong, but because something’s right.
Margin is space to:
- think,
- prepare,
- reset,
- learn,
- observe the market,
- and, yes … even rest.
But most of us don’t see it that way. We treat margin like a problem instead of a gift.
The younger version of me never saw it as a gift either. I believed the lie that I had to fill every pocket of free space with productivity. If the calendar wasn’t packed, something was off. Rest was a luxury. Fun was irresponsible.
That mindset cost me—spiritually, emotionally, and professionally.
The older me has no problem telling you what the younger me refused to hear:
Go do something fun while you have time and are physically able. Dream with your spouse. Take the trip. Step back. Breathe.
Work will come. Clarity will come. The next chapter will unfold. It always has.
The Work Behind the Work
My client replied that it’s hard to see a slowdown as a gift from God rather than a trial.
I get that.
But here’s the truth:
- Our work is not our provider.
- Our clients are not our provider.
- Even our effort is not our provider.
There’s a deeper current at work.
When we believe the lie about the future, we cling. When we trust the truth, we release.
And ironically? Release is what opens doors.
A Final Word
Every leader I know has moments when the future feels thin. But the feeling doesn’t mean the future actually is thin. It simply means we’re human and we’re being offered a new prospective.
If you’re staring at a calendar with more white space than you’d like, remember:
- You’re not starting over. You’re being invited into something new.
- Don’t buy the lie. Lean into the truth.
- Trust the Provider, not the pipeline.
Margin is a gift. Accept it as such and use it wisely.
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