Coach Cassandra Rae

80. {12/10/09} Oh I hosted the first Simply Fearless Fempreneur Brainstorming Party tonight!  It was so much fun and turnout was great.  One thing that totally took me by surprise was how I was beating myself up with criticism during the event.  I found myself thinking things like:

“People aren’t getting enough out of their brainstorming sessions.”

“I should have given my 30 second introduction.”

“I should have allowed everyone to introduce themselves.”

“Why didn’t I do a centering exercise at the beginning?”

Basically, all of these thoughts were fear telling me I’m not good enough.  But, the truth is…the event was a smashing success!  In fact, I received so many emails afterwards telling me how empowering and awesome it was.  So I choose to focus on the success and make any necessary adjustments for the next one.

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, courage, fear, negative self talk, success

66. {11/26/09} Happy Thanksgiving!  I sent out an unplanned email to all of my subscribers about connecting with Soul.  It was so cool!  If you’re not on my list, then you can sign up here on SimplyFearless.com

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, courage, fear

64. {11/24/09} It’s easiest to explain today’s fear by sharing with you the dialogue from my journal.  The statements in quotes are from my Soul and the statements without quotes are me:

Oh my god. Today I discovered that I’m one of those insecure business women devaluing herself and her services. Now I hate myself for it.  What do I do?

“Well first of all.  There’s no need to panic.  You’re okay.  This new information is going to help you. It’s here to help you.”

Oh okay. But, she’s so weak.  I hate her for it.

“Yes there is a part of you that despises weakness.  That’s why weakness is showing up for you: so that you can embrace that too.  There is no other way around this but straight through it.”

Okay. My gut tells me I can no longer offer free stuff [in my coaching practice business].

“There’s some truth in there.  And it’s not black and white.  There’s no need to rush into action just yet.  First, process the emotion and then move into motion.”

Oh okay. That makes sense.  I can move into action when I have reconnected with my confidence and I’m not freaking out.

“Yes, it is wise not to move forward when you are freaking out.”

It also just occurred to me that believing in myself creates confidence.

“Yes, it does.  This week is all about believing in you and discovering your beliefs. You are doing an excellent job.”

Thank you.  It all just feels a bit overwhelming.

“Yes, it does. And you are strong enough to move through it with grace and dignity.”

Oh thank you.  Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.

“Yes, I know. I’m here to remind you.”

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, courage, fear, insecurity, overwhelm, soul, success, weakness

57. {11/17/09} More doubt and fear about the book proposal came up today.  In response I reached out to 2 coaches I know for support.  I’m grateful for the fear that has inspired me to receive help.  I know I will move faster and more effective with a team of people on my side!

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, book proposal, courage, creativity, fear, writing

54. {11/14/09} I went to a new networking event and totally rocked it out! I delivered a powerful 30 second introduction and openly shared my thoughts, suggestions, and experience.  I walked away feeling successful and empowered.  Woohoo!

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, confidence, courage, fear

50. {11/10/09} Fear says, “You don’t have enough clients to take the day off.”  I reply, “I am enough and taking care of myself is the best way to take care of my business.  This day is mine.”

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, courage, fear, negative self talk, self-care

Hi there! Coach Cassandra Rae here.  Do you have a few minutes to chat?

Oh good. Hasn’t this been such an amazing process to face 1 fear a day? Don’t you feel courageous, bold, and empowered?

What? Oh…you feel bad because you haven’t kept up with it.  Yeah, I know what you mean.  I didn’t keep up with it either.  In fact, that’s why I’m calling you today.  Can you believe that I didn’t update my list for almost the entire month of October?!  It’s just that there was so much going on in my life.  I didn’t have the time or the energy to keep up with it.  In fact, it was probably good for my health to let it go.

Oh yeah…I know what you mean.  When things in my personal life get whacked so does everything else and it doesn’t matter how much I want to do stuff.  I simply have to rearrange to accommodate my priorities.  Speaking of which, that brings me back to why I’m calling.  I wanted to share with you that I’m thinking about switching it up and I would really love to receive your feedback.  You see, I found that the first 17 days of the challenge were the most powerful.  It was on the forefront of my mind.  I learned so much about fear and how it works.  I made some incredible strides.  And it didn’t turn into a burden because I kept up with it.

So you found it easier in the beginning too, eh?

It also occurred to me that habits are built in 21 days.  In fact, I tend to do a lot of my groups and programs in multiples of 21 because of that.  So what would you think about switching up the 100 Things I Fear commitment to a 21 day commitment instead of a 100 day one?

No!  We wouldn’t face 100 fears in 21 days!  That would be even crazier, right? No, I was thinking that we could all make a commitment to face 21 fears in 21 days instead of 100 fears in 100 days.

Yeah, I’ll keep going with my initial 100 Things I Fear challenge through the end of 2009.  But, I wanted to provide an alternative for people because it’s such an awesome idea and the last thing I want to happen is for it to turn into something people beat themselves up over.  That’s like the opposite of the intention of the whole thing!

I know, right? Plus, a few of my fabulous FEMpreneur friends encouraged me to buy the 100ThingsIfear domain and so I did.  Yay!  And I’m thinking about setting up a whole blog dedicated to this process.  What do you think about that?

Oh you have to get going now?  No problem.  Will you please do me a favor and post your thoughts on my blog?

Thank you so much! And I look forward to reading your comments…

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, advice, blogging, courage, fear, goals, success, support

Face 1 fear every day

Okay, the truth is…I didn’t update my 100 Things I Fear list for almost the entire month of October.  Oy!  In fact, at one point during the month I recognized that not updating my list was actually holding me back from blogging.  But, I simply couldn’t muster the energy to devote to it.  There was a lot going on in my life and ultimately I gave myself permission to let it go for awhile.

HOWEVER, I was still facing those fears and writing about them in my journal.  So as of 9:15am on Friday, October 30, 2009 my 100 Things I Fear list is completely up-to-date.  Woohoo!

And now I feel light, accomplished, and excited about the next fear I am going to face, which is committing to posting every day in November!  Damn.  I am one crazy woman!  But, it is true:

On my other blog {Simply Fearless FEMpreneurs} I have committed to NaBloPoMo and will be posting at least once a day in November.  In fact, I am using it as a tool to get me posting daily and as a way to support my readers.  How cool is that?! You can learn all about what I’m doing right here.  Why not join in the fun?

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, blogging, courage, fear, NaBLoPoMo

Simply Fearless FEMpreneurs

Oh my goodness…I inadvertently called myself one of the most successful FEMpreneurs on the planet! And guess what? I’m not taking it back.

Just this week I decided to dedicate my life coaching practice to  FEMpreneurs {women business owners & founders} and so I rewrote my bio blurb.  Check it out:

If you were to look at Coach Cassandra Rae’s life on paper you would think that she’d be living in the projects and on welfare. In fact, there were many a peeps who told her just that. You see, her life has taken her through domestic violence, homelessness, the welfare system, teenage pregnancy, miscarriage, divorce, drugs, and abortion. And yet, she has risen above it all. As a single mother, she put herself through Hartnell College and the University of California, Berkeley. She has learned how to turn all of her life’s challenges into stepping stones. Today she thrives with her husband and daughter in Sunnyvale, California where she runs her own Life Coaching Practice. She is one of the most unexpected and successful FEMpreneurs on the planet. If she can do it, so can you!

I really only intended for “the most” part to apply to the unexpectedness and not the successful piece, but now that it’s published I am going to leave it as-is.  Oy! The voice of fear is totally piping up, but I am not going to let it stop me.

Do I see myself as one of the most successful FEMpreneurs on the planet? Well, yes and no. Do I qualify in terms of dollars? No. But, do I qualify in terms of talent, passion, and dedication? OH HECK YES!

So I am putting down my editing pen and letting it stand as a declaration to the world {and myself!} that I am one of the most successful FEMpreneurs on the planet.  Here I come, Oprah!

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, business, business development, courage, fear, FEMpreneurs, Life Coaching

So many of my friends & family members tell me how cool they think the 100 Things I Fear challenge is {of course it is!}  They love to read about my fears {that’s kind of sadistic if you ask me, but that’s okay!} and they admire the courage {my sister even called me brave!}

At the same time, so many of them are like, “I don’t have a 100 fears,” {and you can read my response to that here} or “It’s too big of a commitment. “

It’s true: it is a big commitment.  In fact, I am a week behind in updating my list.  Oy!  But, that’s beside the point.  The point is…I thought it would be fun to provide an opportunity for people to play & contribute without committing to 100 days.  So here’s your chance.  Blog or comment your answer to this question:

What do you do to get yourself moving again when you feel like giving up?

We all lose steam every once in awhile – it happened to me this week!  In fact, there is almost always a break-down right before a big break-through.  So wouldn’t it be great to have a place to go to be reminded to keep going and take that leap of faith even when you feel like giving up? Please post your answer {or the link to your answer if you posted it on your own blog} so that we can all learn from your wisdom!

Thanks!  And now I am off to Champagne Friday :~)

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, advice, blogging, courage, failure, fear, success