CLEVELAND — Many of us are making New Year's Resolutions this time of year. The idea of a resolution is to introduce ourselves to something new or better ourselves. That is also the goal of Cleveland native Scott Simon's new book: "Scare Your Soul."
We first introduced you to Simon in 2020 for Challenge Week on GO! He started a movement also called Scare Your Soul, where he would send out challenges to subscribers online. Hollie even tried one herself. Simon's new book sums up all those challenges and gives them to you on paper.
"I almost look at it like, a sculpture inside a block of stone," Simon says of his movement. "The sculpture's job is to chip away that stone to reveal that sculpture inside, and I think each one of us has that."
The book includes inspiring quotes, interactive mindfulness activities, and places to take notes, all based on Simon's motto of pushing past everyday fears and insecurities.
"I often say if you have a fear of heights, for example, which is actually more of a phobia than a fear, but just to make the point...That cleaning your gutters actually moves the needle more than jumping out of an airplane at 14,000 feet. Because to me, it's about consistent, small acts," Simon explains.
The book breaks the Scare Your Soul motto down to seven principles to help people apply the motto to everyday situations. They are as listed below:
- Gratitude
- Adventure
- Energy
- Curiosity
- Awe
- Forgiveness
- Work
"The seven chapters deal with how do we find courage in awe, in gratitude, in forgiveness, in moving our physical bodies and meditating and working our minds? How do we find courageous action in curiosity? This is all about daily life, this is not something anybody can't do. It's uniquely human," Simon says.
He also says the principles and steps he outlines help with the anxiety we have to go out in the world and try something new, but most importantly, the anxiety that blocks us from loving ourselves enough to do it.
"You start to see that love towards yourself is just as important or more, than love to other people because we need that to be able to give to the rest of those in our lives, our communities, and essentially, to our world."
To purchase the "Scare your Soul" book, click here. You will be directed to Simon's website, which shares more about his movement.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Sept. 1, 2022.