The person lending money deserves an honest plan rather than an optimistic guess.

Hope is not a schedule. When you are asking for money you need, the mind produces a repayment date built out of what you wish were true: work that might come through, a month that might be cheaper. The lender then plans their own life around your optimism. When it slips, they lose money and trust at the same time.

Give the date you would still make in a bad month rather than a good one. Say what your income actually looks like, and what you will do if it drops. A cautious plan kept is worth more than a generous one missed.