The Fulcrum of Your Leverage

This week’s newsletter is shorter than usual. Because I’m in the middle of moving—boxes everywhere, routines disrupted, and sleep off.

I’ve still shown up, still made progress—but everything feels heavier. Decisions take longer. Small tasks drain more energy than they should. Even writing this newsletter takes twice the usual effort.

That’s when the analogy hit me: To apply leverage, you need a solid fulcrum.

What Makes a Good Fulcrum?

In physics, a fulcrum is the fixed point that lets you lift something heavier than you otherwise could. The longer your lever, the more you can lift—but only if the fulcrum is solid.

In life and work, the same principle applies. You can build the best strategy, adopt the highest-leverage tools, or work with the smartest people… But if your fulcrum is weak, nothing moves the way it should.

Some examples of strong fulcrums:

• A healthy sleep routine → fuels consistent high performance
• A strong financial cushion → gives you the courage to start a business and the calm to sustain
• Product-market fit → turns a scrappy business into a scalable one
• The right partner or cofounder → multiplies not just your output, but your clarity and joy
• A peaceful home environment → gives your mind room to think and your heart space to rest
• A clear personal philosophy → anchors your decisions when external signals get noisy

Without a solid fulcrum, leverage turns into pressure. With one, it becomes power.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Before chasing leverage, check your fulcrum.

Is your life built on routines, relationships, and resources that support you, or ones that drain and distract you?

If things feel harder than they should right now, maybe you don’t need a better system or bigger tool. Maybe you just need to stabilize your base.