The Slingshot Effect: What It Actually Looks Like to Go All In

I've been living in stress mode for the last four months.

Since August 1st (since I got back from Europe) I've been purely reliant on my own work. No media jobs, casual gigs, or any real safety net.

I left everything. A mentoring business, freelance work, the predictable income. I went completely all in on writing my book, building a coaching business, and following the mission of helping young people build lives they don't need to escape from.

When you go all in like this, you pull yourself back pretty damn far, especially when life hits you in the gut in the middle of your journey.

I came back from Europe with basically no money. I deliberately put that constraint on myself to force action. And in the last four months, I've spent over $10,000 - on gear upgrades, on general survival and expenses, on mentoring and coaching for writing and building an offer. I’ve invested heavily in my entire journey of creating something from nothing.

I think about it like a slingshot effect. I've been pulling myself back really far, going deep into this process of going all in. And yes, I'm starting to progress now, the slingshot is beginning to release forward, in my physical, mental, and financial health. But I'm still low. I'm still coming back up. I'm still getting there.

On one hand, that makes me incredibly excited about what things will look like as I continue to rise, as I get into the positives and shoot into the sky.

But the reality right now is that I'm still coming up through the downswing.

I've been living in this stress-alive state, trying to build something that just doesn't exist yet. Trying to solve a pain point that's so existential and huge; helping young people who feel rejected by the old system create freedom and happiness in their lives.

And here's the thing: it's a pain point I live with too. I'm solving this problem for myself as much as I'm solving it for you. I needed this guidance when I was younger. I wish someone had shown me this path.

What This Means for You:

If you're thinking about going all in on something, if you're considering leaving the safety net to build something that matters, understand this: the slingshot pulls back before it shoots forward.

You will go down before you go up. You will spend money, time, energy, and emotional reserves building something that doesn't exist yet. You will live in that uncomfortable space of "not yet" while everyone around you questions what you're doing. You may lose people close to you along your journey, including yourself for a while. This is a price you may need to pay along the path of finding yourself again.

What I’m learning, one challenge at a time, is that the further back you pull, the more potential energy you're building. Every dollar invested in yourself, every hour spent learning and building, every moment of stress and uncertainty… it's all tension in the slingshot.

And when it releases, you go far.

I'm not there yet. I'm still in the pull-back phase, still climbing out of the low point, or perhaps beginning to release. But I can feel the momentum building. I can see the trajectory changing.

So if you're in your own downswing right now, if you've gone all in on something and you're wondering if it was the right call, remember the slingshot. You're not failing at all. You're loading up energy.

The release is coming. Just keep pulling.

Keep going,

Sam.

You can watch my newest vlog (Bali & building my education business) here!

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