In Praise of Thin Skin

I have an admission to make.

Jul 07, 2023

If you are on the right path you will find that invisible hands are helping. - Joseph Campbell

My dear, courageous friends.

Sometimes the smallest of realizations can be the most devastatingly important.

This week, I had one.

I learned that I can’t bring our puppy - Juni - over to visit my friend Ben anymore.

Ben is 78, and one of the greatest people you could ever know. Funny, whip-smart.

And I’ve been visiting Ben as he has gotten through his treatments for Parkinson’s Disease.

He would love it when I would bring Juni, because - as you and I know - dogs bring infinite and unqualified joy to any situation.

But on my visit last, Juni bounded up to Ben in excitement.

Juni’s paw grazed Ben’s hand … blood appeared almost immediately, and began pouring down his wrist.

It turns out that Ben’s skin - normally tough and resilient through his 78 years - now looks and feels papery-thin. A normal swipe from an excited puppy’s paw normally wouldn’t do a thing.

And now it does.

And, although that realization feels sad to me, you know what?

It’s OK.

In a world where “toughness” is idolized and hyped, it’s just fine to admit that we have thin skin sometimes.

We are human after all.

And I can still pay a visit to Ben alone.

No matter how thin his skin is … I think I can still make him smile.

My Admission To You

This week, I travelled to London to visit my beautiful daughter, Teilah, who has been studying psychology for the summer.

Being out of my normal world, spending time travelling to see her, and taking long walks with her gave me lots of time to think.

And I have an admission.

You see, every single week for years now, I’ve hunkered down and written a newsletter.

Yes, the one you are reading right now.

And, I have to tell you, it’s really hard to put myself out there.

I think, brainstorm, write, re-write, re-write again, choose photos that I hope will inspire you, and click send … And it’s off to you.

I am proud to say that we have thousands of readers, and an incredibly high open-rate (51%). Many of you share the newsletter with friends.

But I rarely hear back on the impact of Scare Your Soul on your life.

So, here’s my admission.

Over the years of writing, I have developed an internal story about myself that I have outrageously thick skin.

That all I need to do is to put out my best, and not to need anything more.

This past week, travelling with my daughter, I’ve begun to think about my skin.

Maybe it isn’t really so thick after all.

Maybe I really do want to know what you think of my message, and Scare Your Soul.

This Week’s Scare Your Soul Challenge: Share Your Feedback On Scare Your Soul

This week, would you do me a huge honor? Would you share with me one the following?

One shift have you made in your own life because of Scare Your Soul? Go ahead, tell me your story. Or …
What inspires you about Scare Your Soul? What keeps you coming back? Or …
Any feedback you have about Scare Your Soul.

You can share by clicking “comment” below, or e-mail me directly at scott@scareyoursoul.com

If you choose not to share, no worries!

Thank you for being part of this growing, passionate tribe.

We have an incredible, audacious life to lead.

Thank you for allowing Scare Your Soul to be a part of the journey.

In courage,