Coach Cassandra Rae

Visit my YouTube channel to view my first outtake!

Tags: connecting, Fun & Friends, humor, laughter, stress

One of the things that The Hubs and I talk about a lot is the pressure to be productive at work.  There seems to be this incessant need to prove our value by a myriad of things: projects completed, deadlines met, hours worked, hours billed, jokes told, ideas presented, etc.  And yet, what if I told you that it was this need to prove, this pressure to be productive, that was actually keeping your productivity down?

It’s true.  Because productivity isn’t a product of pressure.  Nope.  It’s a product of intention, which is how you approach a job.  It’s where you’re coming from.  And from what I’ve learned, the lighter you approach a job (i.e. the less pressure), the more you can accomplish.  It’s one of the Universe’s cosmic jokes: when you stop trying to prove your worth, you discover your value.  And it’s not that it wasn’t there all along.  It’s just that you couldn’t see it – or more importantly – you couldn’t feel it.

So if you really want to increase your productivity at work, then stop pressuring yourself and start trusting that how you are is just as important as what you are.

Tags: business development, career, pressure, stress, work

“Letting go of the pressure” from my photo journal dated 06/27/07

You guys, I’m so excited!  Why? you ask. Because I’m in the process of putting together a group call all about:

PRESSURE!

Pressure is by far the biggest barrier that stops people from living their Simply Fearless life and I can’t wait to get this discussion started.  Stay tuned for more information and an invitation.  In the meantime, let go of the pressure! How? you ask. Join the call to find out :~)

Tags: connecting, Life Coaching, pressure, stress, support, teleclasses

Last week I visited my sister her husband…

and their daughter…

…up in Oregon.  They live off the grid, which means that they are self sufficient in every way imaginable.  They create their own energy, tap into a well for water, and they even dump their own trash.  Yup, no garbage men off the grid.  Thank goodness for cell phones, satellite tellie and internet; otherwise, they’d not only be off grid but out of their minds!

It was so nice to simply hang out with my sis, her hubs, and their 2 year old daughter.  We’ve been building a new relationship over the last couple of years and it was great to reap the benefits.  We went shopping, swimming in the river, watched movies, and I even helped my sis set up Google Analytics and Feedburner.  Yeah, there were a few tense moments, but they weren’t weighted down with old hurts and unresolved arguments.  They were simply tense moments in a 2 bedroom cabin housing 6 people in 110 degree weather (yes, there was a record breaking heat wave during our visit!)  Those moments came and went as quickly as the air rushing through the 6 fans we had running 24/7.

Anyhow, I thought my visit would be a nice break from all of life’s stresses.  But, now that I’ve been back for awhile I realize that there are just as much stresses living off the grid as on…they are just different.  I worried about using too much power so I continually turned lights off.  I stressed about the water line breaking again and tried to hold me pee as long as possible.  I tried to drink less water despite the heat because all drinking water has to be brought in.  And worst of all, I scrutinized every step outside for fear of accidentally stepping on a rattlesnake:

As you can imagine, my sister has struggled in the transition to life off the grid ~ she’s a huge bug-o-phobe! ~ and after experiencing it first-hand even I thought I would want them to move back to Barrow, Alaska.  But, strangely enough, I don’t.

Because it’s not about where they are.  It’s about how they are.

I want them to create their best life.  I want them to feel safe, secure, and fulfilled.  I don’t care if that’s in the Oregon backwoods, the arctic tundra, or even as missionaries in South Africa.

We differ in so many ways, but one thing will always remain true and indisputable: I love my big sister and her family.  I support them if they decide to stay off the grid or not.

Click here to view all the photos from my trip

Tags: Family, family vacation, fear, life, Relationships, sisters, stress

“Soften Up”

During this morning’s conversation with God I asked him why he was always so accepting of me and giving me permission to feel how I feel no matter how much I don’t like how I feel and he didn’t even have to answer me directly.  In my frustration about his acceptance – can you believe I was frustrated by being accepted?! – I was venting about it and realized that if he scolded me for where I was at and told me that I have to do x, y, or z, that then I would totally rebel against him.

It was such an eye opener and all of a sudden I had a deeper understanding why giving myself permission is so much more powerful than pressuring myself into moving forward.

You see, I tend to do that: pressure myself relentlessly.

But, whenever I’m connecting with God he doesn’t do that to me.  Instead he continually tells me, “That’s okay.”  Even when I’m like, “I feel like such a failure!” he always responds with, “That’s okay.”

And this morning I was fed up.  I asked, “How is that okay? How is it okay that I feel uninspired? Can’t you just force me to stay inspired?”

And that’s when it hit me!  It really wouldn’t work if God continually told me that I’m not okay and forced me to take action.

So, if God is smart enough to know that force doesn’t work, then why am I continually trying to force myself?

You know, it’s such a human thing to force and try.  That’s really not what I should focus on here.  It would be way more powerful for me to make a commitment to follow God’s lead, give myself permission, and embrace myself along the way.

So today as I begin my day I am willing to commit to notice whenever I’m pressuring myself, to let it go, and to give myself permission to be where I’m at.  And you know what? I feel more inspired now than I have in weeks!

What about you? Which path will you choose? Pressuring yourself into action? Or accepting yourself into it? I’d love to hear your take.  Please post your thoughts, fears, and insights.

Tags: acceptance, humanity, inspiration, Life Coaching, pressure, Spirituality & God, stress

Okay, so the truth is…my life has been crazy hectic for the past 2 weeks!  I haven’t blogged.  I haven’t followed up with potential clients.  And I’ve even left some friends hanging.  Ouch!

One of the up-sides of being so busy is that it’s forced me to get clear about my intentions and priorities.  It’s also triggered some parts of me that get to go on snooze when everythings running smoothly and these parts definitely needed some time, love, and attention.  Yes, they might feel uncomfortable and I’d rather have them on snooze, but I’m better off when all parts of me are cared for and nurtured.

Okay, I had no idea I was going to share that with you when I sat down to write.  What I do want to share with you is something that’s really helped me process the stress.  It is the perspective that life is S.IM.P.L.E. and when you stop to think about it…life truly is simple.  It’s what we do with it that gets complicated.  So here’s a handy dandy acronym to help you out whenever you get stressed out:

S.tep One ~ the next step is only one step
I.magine ~ pretend that everything you need to do is already done: how did you do it all and how does it feel?
M.atters most ~ ask yourself what matters most and give yourself permission to focus on it
P.ause and pray ~ or meditate, center yourself, do nothing for 10 minutes, you get the picture
L.et go ~ release the pressure, it doesn’t help and the world will not come to an end if you don’t do everything on your to-do list – in fact, no one else might not even notice!
E.xpress gratitude ~ consistently choose to look through the eyes of thankfulness, wonder, and appreciation ESPECIALLY when it feels like your world is falling apart

Tags: business, busy, Family, priorities, simplicity, stress