I appreciate this book — Do It Scared! I frequently open it to re-read. My hope is that it will bring as much good for you or more!
Ruth Soukup has built an amazing business and reputation. By taking the first step to helping herself, she has become a special person/business sharing the process to help other people.
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While much of Ruth’s experience shapes the book, this is not a memoir or an ‘all-about-Ruth’ book.
No Blaming
Do It Scared is written in first person, using the author’s experiences in addition to those of others about their lives, blogs and/or businesses.
This book is NOT a dramatic, sensational “tell all” memoir, but a book written using insights gained through her life learning. She made more than one turn-around in her life after running into corners. More than once. She is proof that turn-around can happen. Without blaming or whining, the book is intended to encourage and inspire. Even when it looks as if I am (or you are) the one to blame, dwelling on that guilt won’t help get me go the distance toward my best.
Doing it scared faces the FEAR
Using FEAR as a character type, Do It Scared expands to seven fear archetypes featured for the focus of this book.
The personality traits in the list of Fear archetypes are not a new wrinkle. Many will recognize the types through Internet experience, other books or therapy. The advantages of looking at them in the lens of this book lies in simply taking another look. Personality and character have multiple facets. The focus of this book is not to label, but to help readers look at types and beyond in a bigger picture. In that bigger picture the limitations of fears and labels help to keep us SCARED. Scared to the point where we freeze into inactivity.
The descriptions and comparables are not mystical. Rather they are close to ‘low voltage’, actionable points from the experiences of other people.
QUOTE: The fears we have are not to be faced with GUILT, but with acknowledgement. “I see you, fearful thing. And, I’m going past you!”
Fear can sabotage the best intentions
The premise, as I see it, is that people tend to sabotage themselves because of fears based on if they
- never fit in
- are ‘people pleasers’
- can’t challenge rules
- blame others or circumstances
- don’t want to solve problems
- the FEARS are not addressed in this order!
Some readers will be like me and see facets of more than one fear type that fit their characters. Until we boost our courage in the face of being scared, the varied facets can serve to set us back or keep us from living our fullest life.
A full life will be a different picture for every reader. Some of us aim to be entrepreneurial, then shoot ourselves down. Example stories from the author’s life and from interviews feature people she has worked with.
The foundation ‘proof’ for the fear types and the exam to identify my fears lies in the author’s personal experience. While writing about application and overcoming, she tells of wrong turns, rescues involving herself or others, including an increased faith in God put into practice.
Experience is a Rough Teacher
Maturity for Ruth Soukup didn’t come easy! Success was almost an accident!
Her experience was a rough teacher. Every day, she has the realization that the next goals she set plus future projects she will do are plowing new ground — doing it scared!
People who read Do It Scared are not required to participate in any further activities or resources. There is a Do-It-Scared community with further connection on social media. I do not participate in these,although I do work with other groups that are connected to the products I use.
I found the experience stories and comparable analogies encouraging. I am currently working through a course from Ruth Soukup, Elite Blogging Academy and use the planner book that she developed before she had the blogging course available. She has other products available, but I haven’t used them as of this reading and writing. I thought about the course for over a year before committing to learn some processes that could make me a better and more fulfilled blogger
Read through first; then return to study
I believe that readers can benefit from reading the book straight up with no additional items. But, there are great benefits from returning to use the extras included and offered. The choice is up to the reader. No one else knows if you purchase, read and stop there. Or if you return to take the fear evaluation which is free. I especially like the Do-It-Scared podcast
I liked this book. I expected to like it because I was already familiar with Ruth Soukup and some of her projects. I find Ruth’s ‘voice’ to be authentic. As I was reading, sometimes I recognized the people who are featured from online communities connected to the products that I use. I can empathize with their stories.
There may be other resources who apply similar approaches such as the fear archetypes and examples of people who have identified their personal archetype. Readers will have to decide if they prefer this book or another or none. Ruth Soukup has worked to put this package together for the people she can reach. The triumphant stories of how the people in examples worked to overcome their fear and achieve their goals is important. The tale can serve as a pattern for others.
My take as I do it scared
I found this to be an encouraging business book filled with information that I can apply to my journey. Readers who seek, understand and will apply the tips and direction have business intentions. Ruth Soukup didn’t have major business goals when she began with a journaling blog about household money management. That household money is a subject of disagreement for many families. From the money tips and ideas, came the home’s organization and time management. Many of us hide and dodge around micro-management of our budget and have lack to the point of poverty and do not become the strong providers that we can be.
I am reading and applying to a goal of building my own blog on a different topic than budget. I’ve spent years ‘messing around with blogging’. I told myself I was serious, but I didn’t take the serious steps to claim my time, energy, talent and message to build a solid body of work. My writing isn’t the same as Ruth Soukup. However the processes she learned and shares have application.
Have you read Do It Scared? I would love to have your perceptions in the comments.
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