I Do Not Have a Book Deal

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me to...” the answer’s NO and The Uplifters is about to show you why. This space is for purpose-driven women who want to do big, brave things in the second half of their lives.

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When I took this shot a couple of weeks ago while visiting my brother on Kauai it felt like it summed out the kinda of year I was embarking on: big waves in the distance, little ripples in the foreground, a smattering of boulders, and a full moon up above.

I am going to start writing a book today.

I have been telling myself that I have to have a signed contract before I can tell you that I was offered a book deal with my dream publisher and my way-beyond-my-wildest-dreams editor. I’ve been telling myself that telling you before the contract is actually signed (the lawyers are on round 8000 of giving each other comments that I barely comprehend) would somehow make it all go away.

I’ve also been telling myself that I had to wait to start writing the book until the ink was dry.

But none of this is actually true.

I want to start writing ASAP because I want to write the best book I can possibly write, and that means writing a bad first draft early, sharing it with trusted readers for feedback, and slowly working through the knots until I love what I’ve made enough to put it out in the world with my foot on the gas.

Months ago, I cleared this week to start writing, certain I’d have a signed contract by now. Last week, realizing the timeline wasn’t going to match my expectations, I considered pushing my DIY writers retreat out a couple of weeks. But I’m telling you today (because that always helps me do what I mean to do) that I’m going to start writing my first book today.

Just saying that is really scary.

So I’m employing a framework that I’ve been using with myself daily and with all of my clients who are making the giant transition from corporate leadership to creative mission-driven work. It’s definitely going in the book because, well, it works really well and the book is not going to get written without it.

In this year of treading more softly with ourselves, I thought this tactical practice might be useful to you too.

The Scared-to-Action Framework

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Set a timer for 3 minutes. Keep your pen moving without stopping for the entire time. Write down all of the things you’re scared to do today, the things you’re unclear of or uncertain about, the things you’re worried about.

Step 2: Look at what you’ve written and circle the three scary/mushy messes you want to work on today.

Step 3: Make a table with 5 columns. The headings read:

| What I’m scared of | What I’m scared will happen if I do this | How I can prepare or make this easier | A specific action I can take today | Is it worth it? |

Why This Works:

Research on procrastination shows that we don’t avoid tasks because they’re hard. We avoid them because they’re ambiguous. When something feels unclear or uncertain, our brains perceive it as a threat, triggering avoidance behavior as a protection mechanism.

The 3-minute brain dump works because it externalizes the swirl. Once worries are on paper instead of looping in your head, your prefrontal cortex can actually evaluate them instead of just reacting to them.

But here’s the crucial part: the specific structure of these questions matters.

Column 1 (What I’m scared of) names the fear, which neuroscience shows us actually reduces its emotional intensity. Brain scans reveal that the simple act of labeling an emotion or worry diminishes activity in the amygdala (your brain’s alarm system).

Column 2 (What I’m scared will happen) exposes the catastrophic thinking. Usually when we write it out, we realize the worst-case scenario is either unlikely or survivable.

Column 3 (How I can prepare) shifts your brain from threat-detection mode to problem-solving mode. This activates different neural pathways and restores your sense of agency.

Column 4 (Specific action today) is where the magic happens. Research on implementation intentions shows that when we get specific about what action we’ll take and when, we’re 2-3x more likely to follow through. The specificity bypasses the paralysis.

Column 5 (Is it worth it?) reconnects you to your why. This taps into what psychologists call “autonomous motivation.” You’re doing this because you actually care, not because you “should.”

My Example:

As I start writing today, a first-time author with a lot of uncertainty, one of my worries is: where do I even write this thing? Does it go into a fresh Word doc? Do I write each chapter in its own little doc? Is it terrible to write it in the book proposal that I worked so hard on and sent to agents and publishers?

Here’s what my table looks like:

See what happened there? My brain could have gotten stuck on this quiet and honestly pretty insignificant question and moved onto things I’m more confident doing, like writing newsletters or reaching out to people about Uplifters Live.

Or, I could weed through this knotty worry and turn it into action and actually discover it’s not nearly as hard or scary as I thought.

Getting Started Is the Hardest Part

There’s a reason “getting started” feels so impossible. Behavioral scientists call it the “intention-action gap”—the space between knowing what we want to do and actually doing it.

The gap exists because our brains are wired to conserve energy. Starting something new requires cognitive effort, decision-making, and tolerating uncertainty. Your brain would much rather stick with familiar patterns, even if those patterns aren’t serving you.

Annoyingly, the resistance you feel before starting is almost always worse than the actual experience of doing the thing. Once you’re in motion, a different part of your brain takes over. The prefrontal cortex stops catastrophizing and starts problem-solving. Momentum builds. The thing that felt impossible five minutes ago suddenly feels manageable.

The Scared-to-Action Framework works because it shrinks the gap. It doesn’t eliminate fear or uncertainty, but it transforms them from obstacles into information you can work with.

Your Turn:

What are you scared to start? What’s the thing you keep putting off because it feels too big, too unclear, too risky?

Try the framework:

1. Three-minute brain dump

2. Circle three things to work on today

3. Fill out your table

4. Take one specific action today

It works for everything from figuring out how to approach tough conversations with your kids to starting your first book to finally making that career change you’ve been thinking about for years.

Drop a comment and tell me what you’re working on today. It’ll help keep me accountable to actually write this book, and maybe it’ll help keep you accountable too.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a book to write.

Aransas

P.S. If you want help working through your own Scared-to-Action table for your biggest 2025 goals, I still have a couple spots open for Focus Funnel Strategy Sessions. We do exactly this kind of deep work together—turning the scary/unclear stuff into specific, actionable steps.

Reply to this email if you’re interested.

P.P.S. Uplifters Live is March 13! Come meet the women who’ve used frameworks like this to do the scary things. Limited spots remain. [Get your ticket here: LINK]

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