Last year ended on whimpering note for one of my passion projects. Just as I was recovering from the growth slump following two months of seemingly exponential growth, December 2018 proved to be even more dismal. Numbers stagnated across the board for every single metric and that’s when Gary Vaynerchuck’s advice of “deploying massive patience” kicked in. I chalked up the cruddy stats to the holidays — a drop, not a dip, north of 30% — and went about my usual business of running things.

Fast-forward to the last day of January 2019, every metric across the board jumped beyond the 30% drop. That is the reality of setbacks. They stink. They make you question decisions and keep your mind analyzing on how to solve them. But, sometimes, it’s the actual act of waiting that’s all you need. So, note to self: keep it cool and chill out a bit for this year’s drop in December.