Hi Reader,
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Happy Tuesday! This week's musing is a post that I wrote seven years ago when I was writing my first book. I'm reminded that impact rarely occurs without discomfort. I hope you find this helpful.

Making a Difference Is Scary

Seth Godin recently had a blog post entitled “Feels risky.” He writes every day and his posts are usually brief. Here is the entire post:

“The gulf between "risky" and "feels risky" is huge. And it's getting bigger.

It turns out that value creation lives in this gap. The things that most people won't do (because it feels risky) that are in fact not risky at all.

If your compass for forward motion involves avoiding things that feel risky, it pays to get significantly better informed about what actually is risky.”

Posted by Seth Godin on August 02, 2017

This is profound.

Think about how often you felt called to do something but were afraid. What were you afraid of?

As I thought about this, I realized that most times that I feel afraid have nothing to do with the amount of risk involved. I may be worried about failing, but is there really any risk? Or do I worry what others think if I don’t succeed?

Just because something FEELS risky doesn’t mean it IS risky.

Seth Godin has a corollary to “feels risky.” It’s, “This might not work.” Godin contends that we are not really putting ourselves out there to make a difference unless, at some point, we say to ourselves, “This might not work.” And that feels risky.

I felt this way about this blog when I launched it last September. What if nobody reads it? What if it’s bad? That feels risky. But it wasn’t. It cost next to nothing, and the downside was all about how I would feel if it failed. That’s not risky. It just felt that way.

Godin’s post was providential. It appeared in my inbox on a day when I was trying to make a big decision.

Some background is helpful. Last Thanksgiving I was inspired to write a book about how to be a non-anxious leader. As I often write in this blog, family systems theory has been the foundation of who I have become as a leader. I made a commitment to write for 30 minutes each morning and by April I had a 10 chapter manuscript. But now what?

I made some inquiries about publishers. I did a lot of research about traditional publishing and self-publishing. I even submitted a book proposal, but never heard anything back. Two weeks ago, I was on the website, publishizer.com, that helps connect authors with publishers, as well as authors crowdfund their book. A successful campaign can get the attention of one or more of the 180+ publishers that they work with. If a book deal doesn’t result, the author has the funds to self-publish.

I noticed that they have something called an “accelerator” program. They select a cohort of 12 authors whom they take through an eight-week intensive schedule to crowdfund their book. The more copies the author pre-sells, the more likely a publisher will be interested. It’s designed to help authors get from manuscript to publishing deal. So I applied. Three days later I was offered a spot in the next accelerator cohort.

I wanted to do it, but I was also afraid. This feels risky. This might not work.

Then Seth Godin’s blog post showed up in my inbox. It was exactly what I needed. Yes…this feels risky, but it’s not really. If I fail, what’s the downside? It might be a bit embarrassing, but I won’t be any worse off. And, if it does work, the book can help a lot of people learn what I have learned about how to be a non-anxious leader. Making a difference is scary.

So I said yes. Next week I’ll be launching a campaign for my book, Anxious Church, Anxious People: How to Lead Change in an Age of Anxiety. I have no idea how it will turn out. It feels risky. It might not work. But I can live with that.

Note: the campaign was successful, and I have written and published three more books since then.

Recommendations

This week's recommendations continue with the theme of what it takes to make a difference.

​Thinking Like Charlie Munger (3 Mental Models) -Ben Meer. The late Charlie Munger was Warren Buffet's longtime partner at Berkshire Hathaway. I use these three mental models to help make the most of my efforts. This is a must read.

​Decisions as effort - Seth Godin. I love Godin because he distills big principles down into a few words. This quick read is a reminder that making an impact requires emotional energy. It's NOT an option, but it IS worth it.

Podcast

Episode 301 of The Non-Anxious Leader Podcast, How Humor Helps You as a Non-Anxious Leader (and How It Doesn’t), is now available.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading.

Peace,

Jack

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