A while back, I sent off a big proposal.

They were reviewing them all on the Friday.

I even knew who else was pitching, including a few agencies I properly admire.

And then… silence.

So I started doing what any recovering overthinker with medium resilience might do.

I filled in the blanks. All of them.

Maybe the tone was off.

Maybe I wasn’t enthusiastic enough.

Maybe they wanted someone with stronger case studies.

Maybe they’ve got a preference for serif fonts.

Maybe they’ve banned PDFs.

Maybe they opened mine and immediately burst out laughing.

Maybe they printed it, rolled it into a tube, and used it to swat a fly.

I didn’t follow up.

Partly because I was busy.

Partly because chasing a no is never fun.

Even with decent perspective and relatively sturdy self-worth,

a thoughtful proposal left unanswered still stings a bit.

And maybe, deep down, I thought:

If I don’t ask, I won’t have to hear it.

⸻

At one point, I asked the dog.

He’s a Cavapoo.

Slightly aloof. Prone to theatrics.

Not the sort of creature who radiates emotional availability.

But sometimes I give him a voice.

The one Bob Mortimer uses for Ted, the old mutt in Gone Fishing.

A kind of laid-back Cockney car dealer who’s seen it all.

This time, the dog blinked slowly and said,

"They’ve just got too many tabs open, lad. Have a biscuit and move on."

He wasn’t far off.

I wish I’d asked him earlier.

Because three months later (yes, three) I got an email:

“Sorry for the delay. We’re still deciding. Budgets are shifting.”

⸻

A few days of spiralling.

All followed by a big “I told you so” from the dog.

And it reminded me:

Silence doesn’t always mean anything.

You just notice it more when you work alone.

That’s why I'm forever banging on about freelance community.

Slack groups, WhatsApps, co-working calls, whatever.

A couple of people who can say...

“You’re overthinking it” or “Yeah… maybe. But still worth a follow-up.”

Freelancers - especially in the UK - are good like that.

Helpful. Honest.

And mostly quite happy to help talk you down off your little ledge.

So.

Don’t be too proud to chase it.

Sense check things when you need to.

And if all else fails… ask the dog.

(He says you’re doing alright, but you should probably go outside for a bit.)

— Tom