This is not my first post about doing scary things, and I remember when I started my business being terrified quite a bit. But this week is pretty high up there on the frightening scale.

My book is back from my editor, so today I posted the cover to the world wide web for people to comment and vote on which version they prefer. Soon I’ll be setting up my author profile on Amazon which feels very real. Tomorrow I have a meeting to go over my book launch event here in Oklahoma City – talk about naked-dream-inducing, causes-all-my-insecurities-from-middle-school-to-resurface scary! What if no one comes? What if no one is even interested? What if I sell zero books?!

I also started a closed Facebook group for anyone who wants to Go Solo and start their own business. This was scary because it was adding something new to my platform to help solopreneurs (remember how I just said I was all about removing things? Whoops!) Plus, again, I wasn’t sure anyone would want to join a group started by little ol me.

The scariest, though, has GOT to be sending an email to someone I respect and admire, someone who is a big freaking deal, to write a foreword to my book. It is pretty unlikely. It was ballsy to send (I think). I got all nervous and shaky after clicking the send button. Now I hit refresh on my email inbox every few minutes, hoping for that Inbox (1) to appear like my 15 year old self waited for my pager – yes pager – to buzz with a page from my latest crush. Next, I’ll have to send more emails to other people who are all big freaking deals (or at least medium-sized freaking deals) asking them to write review blurbs. Everything I have read about this says just ask, but what if I send 50 emails and not one person says yes? At least I can count on my mom and dad to review it. “Hey, look, this book has two 5-star ratings! Sweet!” I’m getting queasy just typing this out.

All of this to say, if you’re approaching Mount Terrifying, you’re probably doing something right. Without risk, without challenging ourselves, without pushing our hearts until they are pound pound pounding, what are we doing? Just existing? Just wandering. (You knew I was going to go there!)

Here’s a free desktop background I sent to my subscribers recently – let it be a reminder to you, and to me. Scary is good. Scary can turn out pretty great, amazing even. Have you had a week like this? What is the next scary item on your list?