Hey Reader,

Which of these sounds most like you?

Are you in the A camp or the B camp?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either one, but I fall solidly in the A camp.

If an idea of mine comes to life, you can bet I’ve spent the last several weeks or even months turning it over in my mind.

The visual that comes to mind is of my two daughters (ages 11 and 7) stretching and shaping a ball of slime.

I never had slime as a child (too gross!), but I must admit it has come a long way since the green garbage can variety of the 70s.

My girls will sit and play with this stuff for hours. They mix colors together, add in a few random embellishments, make shapes with it on the countertop, and beg me to touch it “just for a minute.”

Ewwww. No thanks.

So my ideas, like a heap of slime in the hands of a child, get mushed, pulled, and pushed. Mixed in with other long-held hopes. Taken apart and put back together.

By the time I’ve put something new into the world, it’s been turned over in my mind at least a dozen times. (It’s honestly a miracle any of it ever sees the light of day.)

Is it like that for you? Do you massage, tweak, and debate the validity of your ideas? Do you share with others for the sake of feedback or validation? Or do you just go for it?

This week, I unexpectedly started something new.

I didn’t kick off the month thinking, “I’m going to launch a Substack.” But that’s precisely what happened.

I’ve been mulling it over for a while now. And probably would have continued that for another month or two.

But something happened that prompted me to stop deliberating and take action even before I felt ready.

Four weeks ago my speaking coach issued a challenge. At the time I agreed that I wanted to do it, but my actions told the real story.

The challenge: to speak out loud, publicly, every single day about what I do.

It was a perfectly reasonable goal.

But I wasn’t doing it, even though I said I wanted the results she promised: to get better at speaking off the cuff.

During our call this week, it came to light that I wasn’t the only one who’d said yes and then didn’t follow through. She asked if we could all agree that this was important enough to actually do it.

For years I’ve said I wanted this result, but I’ve neglected it. I could blame it on forgetfulness, or not enough time, or even attempting it once and thinking, “Okay, that’s good enough.”

But she was right. If I want to get better at speaking, I need to practice.

And then she upped the ante.

“I want you to do this somewhere that you know people could watch it.”

Talking to myself in the car is one thing. Doing it in public is another.

I won’t say I was excited to jump in. I hesitated.

But the more I thought about it alongside my curiosity about starting a Substack, the more it felt like the perfect pairing. I could record my speaking on the fly and post it later in the day. It would allow me to test a new platform with content ready to share.

(There was also the added benefit of not having more than a few followers right now, which makes “in public” feel slightly less daunting. Slightly.)

So, all mulling aside, I uploaded my first video. And I’m preparing to upload the second one today.

Let me ask you:

Is there something you’ve been putting off because you’re not done thinking through every possible angle?

Or have you not taken the leap because you want to run your idea by a few more people before it’s a go?

Whichever it is, can I challenge you with something?

The best way to begin is by taking a small step forward.

But if you want to seriously increase your likelihood of following through, step into a challenge with other people who are doing it too.

Are you looking for a group of women who follow Jesus and would love to walk with you as you take the next step toward a dream?

I’ll raise my hand to be the first. ✋

If you’re tired of carrying it around in your head, maybe it’s time to carry it forward instead.

Hit reply so we can do this together. Your dream was never meant to stay small and hidden in your head.

With you,

~ Merritt

P.S. Curious to take a look at what I’m building on Substack? Click here to see my first post about “Being a beginner again.”​

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