Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal is a unique, small-group telecourse—part lecture and Q&A, part one-on-one coaching and feedback, part accountability and community support—that guides you through the process of writing a nonfiction book proposal.

At the end of the 6-month course, you’ll have a polished proposal you can confidently pitch to agents and publishers. 15 spots available. Enrollment is open between May 16th and May 25th.

Click here to find out about all the details, schedule, pricing and more!

I first heard about the concept of shipping from author, blogger, and entrepreneur Seth Godin. In a guest post at the blog Zen Habits, he writes about what it means to “ship:”

Ship as in get it out the door. Ship as in make a difference at work. Ship as in contribute your art and vision and expertise and passion to the project you’re working on.

If my life had a theme-of-the-week, this week it would be shipping.

Because this week I’m sharing the project I’ve been developing for the past few months with the world. I’m taking something I’ve spent countless hours creating in my safe little office, with the help of my Apple computer, Jill Bliss-designed notebook, and black Pilot Razor Point extra fine pen, and putting it out there for all to see, consider (or not), and decide whether or not what I’ve created has value to them.

As Seth Godin said on his blog:

Shipping is fraught with risk and danger. Every time you raise your hand, send an email, launch a product or make a suggestion, you’re exposing yourself to criticism. Not just criticism, but the negative consequences that come with wasting money, annoying someone in power or making a fool of yourself.

I’m feeling that risk, even though I’ve shipped plenty before. In fact, each time I write a book or article and send it to my editor or publisher, I’m shipping. But that, somehow, feels safer. That has the legitimacy of a publisher or a magazine behind it, someone who said ‘we value what you have to say and want to hear you say it.’ This? This feels different. This is just me and my idea and no guarantees.

But the key to shipping is to focus on the shipping itself – the launch, the share, the creating – not the outcome.

Because the moment the focus shifts to how something is going to be received or what the result will be, resistance kicks in. Resistance so strong it can prevent you from shipping in the first place.

So, here I go…shipping my new class – a 6-month small-group program for writers who want to traditionally publish their first nonfiction book.

And yes, it’s a little scary.

But it’s also more than a little exciting. In creating this class, I’ve been in the flow for the past few months, and I’m keenly aware that being the flow is where it’s at — not being attached to the outcome or feeling like my efforts will only be successful if others validate them.

Like Seth said…shipping is fraught with risk and danger. But it’s mostly about making a difference and sharing your vision and passion. And that’s worth the trade-off any day.

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You can find out more about my new class — Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal — here. Enrollment is open between May 16 – May 25, and the program begins the first week of June!

So, the other day I posted this gorgeous image on my Facebook page because 1) I love what it says, 2) I believe what it says, and 3) it’s inspiring and beautiful to look at.

I didn’t realize when I posted it that I’d so quickly find myself deep in my own personal well of fear. But that’s exactly what happened yesterday.

I had been asked to be a guest on my local news station’s show Parent to Parent to talk about an article I wrote in Parent Map Magazine about how moms can foster authentic communication with their teen daughters. I’ve done a few TV interviews in the past and had always enjoyed them, so I said ‘sure’ without really thinking about it. And for the most part, I was looking forward to the segment until Sunday night at about 9pm.

With eleven hours to go until my appearance, I started to freak out. My inner lizard was going crazy, asking me what the hell I had been thinking to agree to do a live segment. I mean, what if I had a brain freeze or I forgot my main points? What if I just looked like a stumbling idiot and lost all credibility as a teen expert? (My lizard was having a field day.)

I woke up the next morning at 4:45am, even though I didn’t need to be at the studio until 7:45, and as I laid there in bed, I was in full fight or flight response. So I tapped into my tools, like imagining how I wanted to feel while I was doing the interview, visualizing the sense of accomplishment I’d feel when I was done, acknowledging my lizard fears and politely asking them to go away, taking slow, deep breaths, dropping into wordlessness. You name it, I tried it. But still, the anxiety continued.

As I sat in my car before going into the studio a few hours later, I was still a wreck. I soooo wanted the whole thing to be over with. But as the clock ticked closer to my air time, the voice in my head reminded me that the only way to get through it is to get through it. Put one step in front of the other, sit in that interview chair, and trust in my core that I was safe and everything was going to work out exactly as it was supposed to.

So I did.

And I survived.

And, as the rational part of me could have predicted, I even had fun.

But wow…what a great reminder that facing fear can be tough. Fear can make your insides feel like they’re mush, turn you into a terrified child, bring into question even your deepest, most comforting belief systems.

But sometimes fear is what you have to go through to get to the other side.

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(If you want to see how it all turned out, you can watch the Parent to Parent segment here!)

Are you looking for the perfect graduation gift for a high school or college senior in your life?

Instead of going with jewelry, or money, or a fancy schmancy pen, why not give your graduate the gift of an experience?

For the month of May only, I’m offering a special graduation gift:

Find out more about the SENIOR SEND OFF here!

Last night I went to hear hilarious, prolific author David Sedaris speak at an event at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. If you’re not familiar with his work, he’s a frequent contributor on NPR’s This American Life, and has written a ton of humor essay books including my personal favorite, Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Though I’d recognize his distinctive voice and storytelling delivery anywhere, I had never seen him perform live before, and the man was even more brilliant in front of an audience than on the radio. He captured the attention of all 2,500 audience members, as he stood simply behind a small, wooden podium, pencil in hand (he often reads from works in progress and edits on the fly) and a stack of essays to pull from.

As I listened to his comical, candid, sometimes inappropriate diary entries, I couldn’t help but be struck by how David Sedaris had created an amazing life for himself by doing what he loved and by being his pure, authentic, slightly twisted self. (I also laughed so hard I let a loud snort escape from my mouth, but that’s a whole other matter.)

There’s something incredibly inspirational about seeing someone so in the flow – his work and life and passion are melded together as one. He writes in his diary about what he sees and how he experiences situations and then shares his raw and honest observations with the rest of us. For this he is well-paid, well-respected, and well-loved.

And it made me wonder…what would happen if everyone followed their passion and natural gifts and that became the primary focus of their life…if earning a living and living a dream were one and the same?

I think it’s possible. Do you?