There's a verse that used to haunt me.
"Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10
I'm a worker. Always have been. I'd rather do something — anything — than sit with uncertainty.
Send another application. Tweak the resume. Refresh LinkedIn. Take another client call. Say yes to another project. Stay busy so I don't have to feel it.
That verse haunted me because stillness forces you face-to-face with reality. No distractions. No busy work to hide behind. Just you and the truth about your situation — staring back at you.
I know that silence. It's brutal.
The Holidays Force It Anyway
The holidays have a way of forcing clarity.
For some of you, there's no escape from it this year.
Maybe you're between roles. Or you're in a role that's ending — you just haven't told anyone yet. The severance is coming. The writing's on the wall. You're going through the motions while quietly wondering what January actually looks like.
Maybe you're the opposite. You have clients. Business is "good." But you're working 80 hours a week, responding to emails at midnight, and wondering if this is really what freedom was supposed to feel like.
Different problems. Same forced reckoning.
The holidays are brutal when you're carrying either one.
Everyone's celebrating. You're calculating runway — or capacity.
Everyone's talking about vacation plans. You're wondering how long you can sustain this.
And somewhere between the forced smiles and the questions you don't want to answer — it hits you.
Something has to change.
Two Lessons I've Learned
It took me years to understand what that verse actually means.
1. Results are often out of your control. Activities aren't.
If you're in Voyage 1 — trying to land that first fractional client:
You can't force a company to hire you. You can't make the job market want a 52-year-old VP. The W2 system is rigged against experience — I've seen the data, I've lived it, I've helped thousands navigate it.
100 applications into a broken system isn't effort. It's noise.
But 20 targeted outreach messages to founders who need your expertise? That's a system. That's activity that leads to results.
If you're in Voyage 2 — you have clients but you're drowning:
You can't force clients to respect your boundaries. You can't make scope creep stop by working harder. You can't scale by saying yes to everything.
But you can implement Up-Front Contracts. You can enforce the 20% Rule. You can raise your rates and let the wrong clients leave.
The question isn't "am I working hard enough?"
It's "am I working on the right things?"
That's what a system does. It tells you which activities actually lead to results — so you're not just grinding in the dark.
2. Reflection isn't weakness. It's the work.
The stillness isn't quitting. It's clarity.
It's asking:
- What do I actually want?
- What's working? What isn't?
- Where am I lying to myself?
- What does 2025 need to look like?
Those questions are scary. Especially during the holidays. Especially when you don't have answers yet.
But the answers won't come from another job board refresh.
They won't come from another 14-hour day.
They come from the stillness.
For Those Without a Job (Or the "Walking Unemployed")
If you're between roles — or in a role that's ending — here's what I want you to know:
You're not broken. The system is.
78% of workers 40-65 have experienced age discrimination. Workers 50+ spend 50% longer unemployed. Only 10% of displaced executives over 50 find comparable roles within 12 months.
The path back to W2 is rigged against you. Not because you're not qualified — because the system is designed to filter you out.
Fractional executive work bypasses all of it.
No HR filters. No ATS algorithms. Founder-to-founder conversations where your 20 years of experience is the product, not a liability.
The stillness you didn't choose? Use it.
Ask yourself: Do I want another VP role at 55, waiting to get pushed out again in 3 years? Or do I want to own my expertise? Build something that can't be taken away?
There's a systematic process to land your first client in 90 days. Not networking. Not hoping. A system.
For Those Drowning in "Success"
If you have clients but you're working 100 hours a week — here's what I want you to know:
You don't have a capacity problem. You have a scope problem.
I helped a fractional CFO named David before The ReTern even existed. He was making $432K a year. Working 100+ hours a week. Six clients. Zero pipeline. Responding to every email like his job depended on it.
Six months later: Half the hours. Fewer clients. More revenue. Picking up his kids from school again.
The domino was scope control. Everything else fell from there.
The stillness you keep avoiding? It's where the answers are.
Ask yourself: Is this sustainable? What would I need to change to actually have the freedom I thought I was building?
There's a systematic process to scale without drowning. Different problem than Voyage 1. Same principle: right activities, clear boundaries, systems over hustle.
The Stillness Is Here Anyway
Whether you chose it or not, the holidays are going to slow you down.
The inbox will quiet. The calls will stop. And you'll be left with the questions you've been outrunning all year.
So this weekend — between the noise and the obligations — find 20 minutes.
Be still.
Not because you're giving up. Because you're finally getting clear.
Let the questions come:
- What do I actually want 2025 to look like?
- What's the honest truth about my situation?
- What would I do if I knew there was a system for this?
When You're Ready
The stillness is the first step. The system is the second.
If you're in Voyage 1 — trying to land your first fractional client — take the Launch Assessment. 19 questions. 7 minutes. Shows exactly where you're blocked and what to do about it.
If you're in Voyage 2 — you have clients but you're drowning — take the Scale Assessment. 24 questions. 10 minutes. Different problem. Different solution.
I've been refining these systems for 16 years. Helped thousands of executives make these transitions. The process works — but only after you've sat with what you actually want.
You're not starting over. You're taking back control.
The work is serious. The life doesn't have to be.
Be still this weekend. The clarity will come.
Happy holidays. 🎄
Kirk Coburn created the Fractional CMO category in 2009 and has helped place 2,000+ executives in fractional roles at $10K-$25K/month. He writes about the systematic path from corporate refugee to thriving fractional executive.
