I’ve been thinking a lot about commitment lately.

Not the comfortable kind of commitment, where you tell yourself you’ll try a new thing over summer, but never really give it a go.

I mean the kind that feels like paddling into the ocean until the shoreline disappears behind you.

When in 2023 I posted a reel onto my (usually quiet and carefully constructed) instagram page full of just school friends, I felt like the shore was long gone.

I talked directly to my camera, saying that I’d dropped out of university, and was going all in on my dreams of building businesses I was passionate about, so that I could travel the world and take others on the journey with me to freedom and fulfilment.

That commitment might sound cool and exciting now, but in the moment, I was fucking terrified. I literally tossed my phone under my bed after posting, and went for a walk to try forget about the commitment I’d just made. All of a sudden, I could feel the introverted part of me gasping for air. It was time to say goodbye to that old version of myself.

And I think that’s a huge part of commitment to something.

It’s putting your metaphorical hand up in a world of conformity, and deciding to be someone who chooses chasing something deeply over having one foot in multiple things. It’s attending the funeral of your old self, and walking away decisively changed.

We all have interests in life, but most of us never explore them far enough to face the discomfort of commitment. We wade in, maybe paddle out a little, just enough to feel the discomfort of deep water… then we rush back to the sand. Back to the script; to what feels safe.

It’s human. As long as we can still see the old shoreline, the degree waiting, the familiar routines, the safety net of the known, we’ll always be tempted to turn back.

But here’s a little idea from my experiences of going all in and seeing the benefit:

If you’re serious about building something new, whether that’s a business, a new version of yourself, or the trip of a lifetime, there comes a point where you have to keep going until the shore fades from view.

That moment is terrifying, because no new island pops up right away.

All you can see is water, stretching endlessly in every direction. The system never trains us for this part, because it’s built to avoid uncertainty at all costs. Yet this is exactly where possibility lives.

Possibility lives beyond sight of the past.

The very act of stroking forward, even when no land is visible, forces you to grow. Your body adapts, your mind sharpens. Each small movement becomes proof that you’re capable of more than you once thought.

The fear doesn’t vanish instantly. But little by little, it’s replaced by a new sensation deep within you. An electric feeling of possibility.

If there’s something you’ve been hesitating on, or something you’ve only half-committed to, maybe it’s time to keep swimming out.

Could it be time to lose sight of the old shore, even just for a moment, and discover what waits in the open ocean?

Because you’ll never find it standing ankle-deep on the sand.

I’ve come to love sitting out in this ocean of possibility.

To get metaphorical, the boat I row is made up of all the lessons I’ve learnt — the meditations, the internal motivators, the healthy habits. It supports me to keep going.

I never would’ve co-founded a 6-figure media company at 21 without it. I wouldn’t have gone to 16 countries in the last 2 years. I wouldn’t have began selling my cinematic colour grades to my fellow videographers (get them here) without it.

So do me a favour, you good thing:

You’ve read this much — go throw your head over something for me. Commit for a bit. Tell others about the dream you’ve got. Explore this beautiful ocean we’ve been conditioned to forget about.

Go until you can’t see the shore.

Love,

Sam

I’m spontaneously heading to Da Nang in Vietnam for a week to mix up my work environment in early October. Reach out if you’re currently there, or have a gym recommendation, or anything x

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