What We Can Learn About Book Coaching From Horror Movies and Zip Lining

Part 3 of 3 in a series about my trip to Costa Rica

Part 1, Part 2

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I can’t watch horror movies. I can’t even watch movies in which there is too much darkness and tension. This was always my reality, but it got worse when I had children (30 years ago), and it has become intractable as I have gotten older. Voluntarily putting myself in a situation that terrifies me – even if I am sitting in my living room – is simply not an activity I choose to do.

I’ve also gotten increasingly afraid of heights. So when the birthday crew I traveled to Costa Rica with in December had ziplining on the agenda, I was more than a little nervous. So many other friends spoke about how fun it was, how it was a highlight of their trip, how it gave you a different perspective on the cloud forest and the trees and the sky and the planet, and so I thought: Okay, maybe.

I don’t like being a person who is afraid of things. I think of myself as physically strong and adventurous. In business, people often comment on how courageous I am, how willing to take big risks. I leaned into these identities: adventurous, courageous. I told myself that the risk of being a little scared was going to be well worth the experience of flying through the treetops. I told myself it would be empowering to confront my fear and that my future self would be so glad that I didn’t let fear stop me from a new experience. I told myself that my fear wasn’t horror-movie fear.

And my companions were so excited! As with the early morning mountain biking trip I wrote about in Part 2 of this series, I felt a positive sense of peer pressure. I felt embraced by my friends and motivated to have a shared adventure. Everyone knew I was nervous and they were kind and encouraging to me.

So I showed up – the thing the experts are always saying is the key to so many things. I listened to the safety talk. I geared up. And off we went.

We ziplined through the treetops on an eight-part course, the last of which was ⅓ of a mile long. We flew through the rain and clouds, and over a rainbow.  We stood on platforms in the tops of massive trees as they swayed in the wind and saw the wild ecosystems high up in the sky.

And I hated it.

I wanted to leave – but there was really no way out.

I wanted to cry – but I was too cold. It was raining and windy and I was shivering from fear.

I wanted to sit down on those platforms and in the sky and close my eyes and scream – but that would have ruined the experience for everyone else, who seemed to be loving it.

So I got quiet and focused on what I had to do to make it through: put my hand on the wire, take a deep breath, step off the platform, breathe, breathe, breathe, brake before landing on the next platform, repeat eight times.

When I got back to solid ground, I did not feel brave or empowered. I was not glad I had done it. I was just glad it was over.

What This Has to Do With Book Coaching

Starting and running a book coaching business is something that scares a lot of people. 

People who know they have the talent, skills, and temperament to coach writers say that they are afraid of betting on themselves.

They are afraid of the technology.

They are afraid of putting prices on their packages.

They are afraid of figuring out the marketing.

They are afraid of making any moves in their business that might cause the whole thing to tumble down.

I spend my days encouraging people to work to overcome these fears. I am the Chief Evangelist Officer for book coaching and the Chief Cheerleader, too. I bring this huge enthusiasm to the new industry because I have seen it change the lives of people who decide to do it and change the lives of the writers they help.

I know for sure that burned-out freelance editors who are scrambling to build their businesses by taking whatever jobs other people hand to them can build awesome book-coaching businesses that enrich and empower them.

I know for sure that ex-academics who love the teaching part of teaching but don’t love everything else about the academy can translate their skills into running a good business.

I have seen lawyers, PR professionals, and people with advanced degrees in mathematics who thought they had missed the boat on having a career in the world of books come home to work they love when they finally decided to jump in.

But if you are so afraid that it paralyzes you – don’t do it.

If the risk of starting and launching a business (or taking the next big move in your existing business) is not the kind of risk that lights you up, but the kind of risk that shuts you down – don’t do it.

If you are going to be like me – standing on that platform at the top of the tree wondering why on earth you didn’t listen to your gut and stay back – don’t do it.

The Truth About Book Coaching

At the end of the day, book coaching is not really about the books. 

It’s about the writers.

It’s helping people find their voice, claim their voice, and raise their voice in a world that is probably actively trying to shut them up.

It’s helping them do something that terrifies them so much they may have spent their lifetime avoiding it or doing it in a way that is half-baked and therefore protects them from the risk of failing and the risk of succeeding.

We can’t help people do their best work if we are too paralyzed to look around at the treetops and the rainbows and revel in the beauty of the view.

I adore the thrill of running a business – of not knowing if it will succeed or fail.

I love the risk of trying.

I’m afraid every day, but it’s the kind of fear that is energizing and makes me feel alive.

Make sure you know the difference for yourself and only forge ahead if the same is true for you.