The other day, one of my bosses expressed admiration at what I do as a salesman. On one level: good. I love it that he thinks what I do is special! That helps me keep my job.

But on another level, and this is the one I espoused to him—not sure that’s true. What I do as a salesman isn’t all that different from what he does as a brewer, and I know that because sales isn’t all I do. His is a creative pursuit, as is mine as an author. And that has a lot of similarities with sales.

It’s all dancing with the fear. Creative work isn’t all that different from sales, it’s just dancing with a different fear. It’s still putting yourself out there, naked, and hoping you have the skills to make it through. It’s accepting the sheer terror, holding hands with it, and moving with it because you can’t stomach running away.

The only difference is that one sphere involves working with hops (brewing) or words (writing), and the other is working with people (sales). Same fear, different skills, different canvas. But same fear.

I probably shouldn’t minimize what I do to one of my bosses, but I want him to know that he could do what I do just as well, if he so desired. It’s all a skill. He has shown the world he can dance with the fear, on a large scale—he’s started a business. This is just another type of fear he hasn’t acquired the skills to flirt with.

Not that he should. Get back in the brewhouse, you! There’s something known as the division of labor, after all.