The Septic Tank — Find the Gold Without Losing Yourself.
Going through an exceptionally difficult period without losing yourself in it.
Find the gold without losing yourself.
Editorial takeaway
- This is a phase. It doesn't have to become your home.
- Find the gold without losing yourself.
My experience
Sometimes you're in the middle of the septic tank. And you can't see the gold yet.
Sensitive passage — awaiting final author approval
The Septic Tank originates in a conversation with my father. As I contemplated another exceptionally demanding period of training and uncertainty, we developed the image of swimming through an enormous septic tank in search of a valuable piece of gold.
For me, the metaphor described the difficult, unpleasant and exhausting journey through which I was trying to reach another sporting opportunity. It also became a recurring theme in my coaching.
But an important evolution occurred. I began recognising that my previous strategies did not always work when the difficulties changed — and that I could not live indefinitely inside an extremely demanding survival mentality.
Based on what I myself told in coaching conversations (2023–2025), editorially summarized. Source: Author's supplied material (47-principle masterprompt).
In my own words
During my hardest years it sometimes felt as if I had to swim through an enormous septic tank.
Every time I thought I was making progress again, something seemed to go wrong. An injury. A disappointment. A new uncertainty. A difficult confrontation with myself.
In a conversation with my father, the image arose of a septic tank in which you try to find a piece of gold. That metaphor stuck.
But I later learned that you shouldn't keep swimming through the septic tank in the same way forever. Sometimes you need a different strategy. Sometimes you need to ask for help. Sometimes you need to rest.
And sometimes you have to ask again whether the gold you are looking for is really worth the sacrifices you are making for it.
Proposed wording from the author's own material.
The essential lesson
Hard periods can lead somewhere meaningful, but only if you keep checking your strategy, your support and whether the goal is still worth the price.
The core principle
This is a phase. It doesn't have to become your home.
Go deeper
Five lessons from the septic tank
- 1
Recognise the difficult circumstances you are in.
Naming the phase honestly is the first step to navigating it.
- 2
Clarify the gold.
Know what meaningful goal makes the difficulty worth facing — and check it regularly.
- 3
Change strategies that no longer work.
What helped in one difficulty may not help in the next.
- 4
Seek support.
Nobody has to swim through it alone.
- 5
Protect your long-term well-being.
A survival mentality can help for a while. It is not a place to live.
Adversity is not automatically beneficial, and not everyone has the same resources or support. If a situation harms your health or safety, seek professional help.
Apply it
Reflection questions
- 1What is the gold you are swimming towards?
- 2Which strategy is no longer working?
- 3Is the gold still worth the price you are paying?
Editorial reflection questions, derived from the principle.
Practical exercise
- Describe your current 'septic tank' in three sentences. Then write down one strategy you will stop, one you will try and one person you will ask for support.
Editorial application: Newly designed exercise, no literal source material.
Interactive exercise
The Septic Tank Navigator
Navigate a difficult period without losing yourself in it.
Adversity is not automatically beneficial. If your health or safety is at risk, seek professional support.
My reflection
Private: Your answers are only stored in this browser.
My next step
The Coach's Lens
Stephen guided me through an important part of this period. Having someone to think out loud with did not make the difficulty disappear, but it meant I did not have to carry it alone.
Who could be a conversation partner for me during this difficult period?
The Coaching SideKeep exploring
Connected Principles
The Unbreakable Mindset
GRIT — Stay Committed. Adapt the Path.
Perseverance is not blindly carrying on. Sometimes GRIT means resting, adapting and rebuilding.
The Unbreakable Mindset
STATE — Build Your Way Back.
You don't have to be in a peak state to take the next step.
The Unbreakable Mindset
Make Recovery Part of Excellence
Restoration does not interrupt your ambition; It helps protect her.