The Permission Slip No One Gave You

What the most successful entrepreneurs are rethinking this holiday season

I used to think business success was about moving fast. Always.

Every December, while others were winding down, I'd be ramping up. Strategic planning. Goal setting. Getting a head start on the new year before my perceived competition even finished their eggnog.

The spaces between work?

Those were just opportunities to squeeze in more productivity.

Until one winter, something shifted.

I remember sitting at my desk, surrounded by Post-its and project plans, when a strange question bubbled up:

What if all this planning was actually keeping me from my next level of growth?

Here's what I've learned since then: The most powerful moves in business often look like standing still.

Like the oak tree that seems motionless but sends roots deeper with each passing season, true growth happens in the quiet moments.

The moments when we dare to pause. The moments when we choose integration over fragmentation.

The moments when we remember that everything - everything - is connected.

This isn't just philosophical musing. I see it in the entrepreneurs we work with every day:

The founder who stares at their packed calendar, knowing they need rest but afraid taking time off will derail their momentum.

The consultant who ends each day depleted from bouncing between multiple half-finished projects, their body sending clear signals that this way of working isn't sustainable.

The coach who keeps postponing their own wellness practices, telling themselves they'll focus on self-care once they've handled their "urgent" client work.

We're taught that success requires constant motion. That rest is a luxury we can't afford. That taking your foot off the gas means watching opportunities zoom past.

But what if we've got it backwards?

What if the pauses between our actions are as crucial as the actions themselves?

What these entrepreneurs actually need isn't another strategy or system.

What they need is permission.

Permission to step back.

Permission to let things breathe.

Permission to trust that growth happens even (and sometimes especially) when we're not pushing.

This holiday season, I'm offering you that permission slip.

Not because I have any authority to grant it, but because sometimes we need someone else to say:

"It's okay. You can rest. Your business won't fall apart. In fact, it might just break through."

Want to try something?

During this holiday week, before you open your laptop, before you check your phone, take three deep breaths.

Ask yourself:

"What if rest isn't the opposite of productivity, but a vital part of it?"

"What if stepping back isn't giving up, but gearing up?"

"What if the quiet moments are where the magic happens?"

Then notice what shifts - not just in your energy levels or decision-making, but in how you move through the world.

Because here's the truth: Your business isn't separate from your life. Your success isn't separate from your soul.

There's really only one thing happening here.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is pause long enough to feel the current.

With deep appreciation,

Phil

P.S. If you're curious about how to build a business that honors both growth and rest, I invite you to take our Harmony Map Assessment. It's a tool we've created to help you visualize the connection between you, your business, and something greater than both.