Upgrade Your Life with a Bulletproof Mindset with Craig Siegel

Thank you for tuning in to the True Grit and Grace podcast. I'm Amberly Lago, and I'll be sharing inspirational stories of resilience and empowering ideas to elevate your business and your life, ignite your passion, and fuel your purpose. Hey, welcome back to True Grit and Grace. I'm Amberly Lago, and I am super excited to have one of my really good friends here with us today. He is legendary. I have Craig Siegel with us. He is a global sought-after speaker. He has got a podcast. It's a top-ranked podcast I've had the honor of being on. It's called The CLS Experience. He has got an amazing community that he pours into. He is a coach.

Yeah.

He is a mentor. He's a marathon runner. He has reinvented himself. In fact, he's got a new book coming out. It's called The Reinvention Formula. And I can't wait to dig into some questions on how you can reinvent yourself. So, Craig, thank you for being here. Welcome to the show.

Oh my. Now that's an introduction. I'm usually the one dishing those out. I receive all of it. Thank you. I love you. I know we kind of fit this in before the book comes out. There's no place in the entire world that I'd rather be right now than with you. Thank you for having me. Let's have some fun. Let's get nuts.

Let's get nuts. You are always so much fun. So much fun. Your energy is contagious. So the best way to start my Monday right here with you. Thank you for being on. And you know what? We share a lot in common. Speaking of just reinventing yourself, you reinvented yourself. I mean, you were on Wall Street Journal. You had a very successful job and decided you were meant for more and you wanted to do more and feel— just be more fulfilled and decided to completely reinvent yourself. And you hit the ground running and you have not stopped. And it has been so fun to see all the amazing things that you've been doing. But what is reinvention? Why is it so important?

I think that the concept of reinvention is fantastic because Like, for example, the book, it's not niche. It's not just for entrepreneurs or single moms or people in construction. Everybody in some capacity is looking to reinvent. But now let's define what reinvention really means. I want to change the paradigm on the word reinvention. I don't believe it's starting over. I believe it's what is that one thing that we've been denying, that one thing that we always wanted to do? Let's lean into that. And that's what reinvention means to me. And I know that oftentimes when I start a speaking engagement, before I start, I'll, I'll say to the audience, whether it's 100 people or a couple thousand, who here believes that they're here for something much bigger than they're currently settling for? And typically, Amberly, 99 out of 100% raises their hands. And that tells you something, just collecting the data. So I wanna show everybody how to go for more, how to achieve that, how to pivot successfully. And how to have it all, the career to die for, the relationships, unapologetically make a lot of money and obviously have a lot of fun doing so.

Yeah, that's important too. And, you know, before we started recording, we were just catching up a little bit. It's always nice to catch up with you. And, and I was actually saying, you know, you're in a season of grind. I've been in a season of grind, I think, for the past 6 years. I'm wondering if it's ever going to slow down. But I was saying I'm super excited because I have booked some big speaking gigs, and I told you, I was completely honest, and I was like, I'm kind of scared. The inner critic kind of pops up, and I kind of think, oh my gosh, maybe I'm just— or am I sure I'm cut out for this? Do you feel that it's the limiting beliefs, that it is people's mindsets that hold them back? What do you feel holds people back the most and stops them from going after the big dream or the big career or that next thing that they know they're meant for?

Ooh, I love this one. I think unworthiness is the biggest virus going today, right? Like, we have this limiting belief where we feel unworthy of getting top dollar for speaking engagements or running a marathon or having the right partner or stepping into a career that you're passionate about and making a lot of money. Truth of the matter is, is there's— those limiting beliefs are not real. In fact, thoughts are not facts. You create these limiting beliefs based upon society, our upbringing, sometimes our parents, social media, comparison, and stuff like that. And we begin to believe it. And just to be clear, I speak from contrast. I believed for a very, very long time that I was a Wall Street cat. I was always going to be stressed out. My life would be unpredictable. I would never really fall in love. I would make a certain amount of money and that was it. And I was so invested in that story, in that movie, that that's where I stayed for quite a long time. When the pandemic happened and I got really quiet for the first time in my life, and strategically I connected and I blocked out that noise and that interference, it occurred to me that I was stuck because that was my choice. I chose to think that that was it for me. But what if I could choose a different movie in my head, a different story, so to speak? And instead of thinking about what can go wrong, which I believe most people do, I started thinking about what can go right. And I started asking myself, what are my passions? What are my superpowers? And I started leaning into that. So ultimately, I think what plagues most people is they're choosing to believe in this limiting movie inside their head. And for all your listeners right now, I challenge you to choose a different story and lean into that and start thinking about what can go right.

That's great. Do you think that asking yourself different questions can help shift your mindset a little bit? Or for somebody who does feel stuck and somebody who has that, just that soundtrack in their head over and over and over telling them that a certain thing, that they're, they're not good enough or they'll never make it, or maybe it's their mom's voice or their dad's voice or their partner's voice that says, you're crazy for thinking that you can do something like that. How do they start to change that?

Just being aware, right? I think awareness is the key to making massive change in your life because you can't change it if you can't see it. So just understanding that it is your mom's voice or society or you're comparing yourself to others, realizing that that's what's going on. And now I have a choice if I wanna give those limiting beliefs any life, right? But there's also another choice. What if I remove those disempowering thoughts and I start to believe in, can I possibly be successful at something else? Yes. Okay. Have I been successful at anything in my life? Yes. Are those skill sets transferable? Absolutely. So you can transfer whatever made you successful in any arena to anything that you want. Ultimately, asking yourself questions is very powerful. Just understanding that you always have a choice. And when something happens to me these days, first of all, one thing that I really worked on, I think this is really valuable for your listeners, is make a commitment to never play victim. Whenever something happens, 2 things. Number one, this is happening for me, not to me. Although I might not be able to figure it out yet, I know it's protecting and promoting me to something greater. And number 2, something that I like to challenge myself with, anytime something happens, I ask myself, why is this happening in my movie right now? Because everything is cause and effect. And if I can acknowledge it, and I could become aware of it, then I can learn from it, and I can make sure it doesn't happen going forward. So asking yourself questions and realizing that there's always a reason as to why something happened. And if you could become aware of it, then you can do something about it and change your next course of action.

Oh yeah. I love that. And you know, I, I, I think my whole life I've had people tell me, oh, you're never going to be able to do that. You're making a big mistake. That's crazy. And I've actually flipped that and I use that. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm stubborn. Maybe I am crazy, but I use that as motivation. I'm like, you know what? I'm going to prove to myself that it just motivates me so much when somebody tells me I can't do something.

I think a little healthy competition is great.

Yeah, I do too. I think that that's part of having grit for sure. So I remember talking with you on the phone when you were thinking about your book. We were discussing publishing and stuff like that. And I was like, oh my gosh, I can't wait to learn about your book. What really inspired you to write The Reinvention Formula?

So when I started CLS, when I was going to do this and go all in, I want to be very clear. I think there's a huge difference between a dream and a vision. I think everybody has dreams, but sadly most people don't really hit them or attack them. A vision to me is much more specific. It's intentional. So for example, you have an idea, something's a possibility. Now you move closer, inspired action towards that vision. Now that possibility becomes a probability. So when I was going to start CLS, one thing that I couldn't attach to building my personal brand and doing this was experience because I didn't have any. I had no following, no celebrity friends, no connections, but I was resourceful and gritty. And also I knew that I'd been successful in other places like business and marathons, and a lot of those skill sets were transferable. So when I got very clear and I gained clarity, I looked at CLS as a 10-lane highway because I don't want to rely upon one thing. Coaching, community, podcast, book deal, sponsorship, speaking, all the things. And then each lane represented a kind of a different aspect of the brand. Then I reverse engineered it and I said, okay, well what's step one? And I started putting out content, adding value and building the brand. So the book deal had been on there for me personally. And we talked about this and you gave me some really good advice as well. For my first book, might be my only one, I wanted to have a major publisher behind it. I don't know why. Doesn't mean I'm right or self-publishing as long. My thought process was like, I pictured like a movie with a big studio behind it. It was just my thing. So I put it out there. And then as I like to say, I married the process, divorced the outcome. So it was on my vision board as one of the lanes, but then I divorced from it and I just kept building and compounding and attacking. And then our mutual friend Ed Mylett had a ton of success with his book with Wiley. And Wiley actually reached out to me, which from what I understand is rare. I didn't have a manuscript. I didn't have a lit agent. They approached us. I renegotiated a record first-time author book deal. It's no secret. I wasn't afraid to lose the deal. And everything about this situation with Wiley just felt really good. And then I moved forward with it. But here's the thing, because we got such a good deal and so forth, they had a very aggressive, tight turnaround. So I had to create a system for myself. And this will be interesting for you listeners that want to write a book or maybe are in the process. I'll never forget December 2022, I created a system. I woke up at 4:00 AM every single day for 1 month, a little bit earlier than usual, pitch blackout. And I would just write for about an hour, hour and a half. Turned out to be like maybe 1,000, 1,500 words a day. And then the entire book began to write itself. Literally finished it in 1 month, December 2022. I probably could have even wrote a little bit more. And the good news is that system I could probably duplicate in the future if I wanted to. So the book deal, long-winded answer, was always a part of the vision. I wanted to manifest it. But then I detached from it because, as you know, you're big on manifesting too. When you want something so bad, you create resistance. So I had it up there. I divorced, and I just kept building. Wiley came to us, and it just felt like the right situation. And for me personally, with The Reinvention Formula, it's everything I know to be true up until today. I feel as though I'm called to write this, and this is my assignment in this season of life.

Oh, that's amazing. You know, it's so much about your discipline, your consistency, your persistence, your grit. And so many— did you know 81% of people want to write a book?

I didn't know that.

Yeah, 81% of people want to write a book. Guess the percentage of how many people actually end up writing a book?

5%?

1%.

Really? Wow.

1%. And I have people ask me all the time, like, well, how did you write your book? I'm like, I committed to writing. I sat down and started writing. So I love that you share. That you made a system for yourself and you were committed to that system and you took action. And that's the difference. You— yeah, I love manifestation, but I love to manifest, and I think it's great to pray and have big dreams and wishes, but the key is you got to take action.

Amberly's got nuggets. It's so important to say that because— and not to interject, but it's become so trendy to talk about calling it in and manifesting. And I think it's a little bit irresponsible as an influencer. I think it's very important that we let the listeners know, yes, do all of that, but then marry that with the practical and actually have some strategies and tactics to meet the energy halfway.

Amen. And you know what? I think one of the things that I've seen you do so well is you're big on community. And You know the importance of having a good mentor and having good people. Talk about a little bit the importance for you about having a coach or a mentor, and then we'll get into community as well. How has that helped you?

Yeah, when I first pivoted and was looking to reinvent myself and I got CLS going, you know, it occurred to me that I don't know what I don't know. And could I spend all the time trying to figure this stuff out? Perhaps. But Not to sound like, you know, a little jaded, but we don't have forever here. We want to make every second count. And I had never been more crystal clear on why I'm here and what I was supposed to do. And I wanted to collapse time, right? And so I started surrounding myself with people that respectfully aren't necessarily better than me, but are a little bit further ahead.

Mm-hmm.

And it's just contagious. You start to see how they operate, what makes them tick. You start to think and play bigger. And so a little early on in the process, I reached out to a mentor, our mutual friend Dave Meltzer.

That's how we met, actually. Dave introduced us. That's right.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, so look, a mentor is not going to do all the work for you, just to be clear. But it's very good to have a sounding board, someone to hit you with a little bit different perspective. And because that was so valuable to me, I can honestly say right now to all your listeners, for the rest of my life, I will have mentors or coaches in some capacity forever. And it's not because I don't have self-belief. It's because it can only help accelerate your growth. There's always a different perspective. There's always something that they might know that I might not. They already paid the dummy taxes. You know, Dave's a 55-year young man, but he's got about 18 years on me. He has more life experience. And if it wasn't Dave, for the listeners, like, work with Amberly. If she's not available, find somebody. And if you don't have the means right now, obviously, indirect mentorship's great too. Podcasts, books, follow the people that you like on social, kind of see how they operate and so forth. But This was a big paradigm shift for me, no pun intended, and having a mentor is huge. And now I look forward to surrounding myself with people that have more knowledge in a specific area than I do because I know that's the quickest way for me to learn.

Okay, that's awesome. But I just had a conversation with someone yesterday. They were talking about how many people out there, like, I am a coach to the coaches and I am the best mentor and I'm the guru and I'm the expert. And there's a lot, as my husband says, he goes, I have never seen so much BS like I see in your industry because he has seen it. There's a lot, you know, like a lot of people that really like promise you the world and they underdeliver, you know. And I want to be the kind of person who, yeah, I'm going to tell you exactly how I can help somebody and then overdeliver.

on that.

But what would you say to somebody who is looking for a coach or a mentor to time collapse their goals? What should they do first?

That's a great question. And, you know, I never really thought about it like that. But your husband's not wrong. It's a saturated space. And there is a lot of fluff. I think in the pandemic, it became trendy and opportunistic to become a coach because online, you could do so much. And that's what— at a time when everything else was shut down. I think now you're starting to see a lot of those BS coaches and mentors fizzle out because they realize you actually have to put in work and actually help people. So I think it's only a matter of time, and I think that'll be good for people like you and I who can actually help people. But I think when you're making a choice as to who you want to surround yourself with, align yourself with, got to be super intentional. First of all, I would see what are they doing? What have they done? What is their track record? Are they sitting in a seat that I like to sit in? And I don't mean like somebody standing next to a rented Lamborghini with a fake watch on. Like, do some homework, find out about this cat, read their book, meet them if you can. And ultimately, also another thing that I see is it's like trending now to have so many mentors. I would suggest, based upon my opinion, find somebody that you really like, that you really gravitate towards, that you feel in alignment with, and go deep with them. Do a year, even maybe more, and really give them an opportunity to help you. But you got— you have to be just like anything else. Like, you're not just going to marry anybody, right? You date the person, so to speak, and you make sure they're the one. Obviously, sometimes that, you know, there's divorce and stuff like that, but do your diligence. See where— see who they hang out with. What have they done? What are their credentials? And, you know, you have to be smart. Obviously, find someone that's sitting in a seat that you like to sit in and that has a proven track record. That would be my best advice to someone that's looking for a mentor.

That's great. Yeah, because I have actually made the mistake of investing in a mastermind that was not at all what it claimed to be. And I went to one session and never went back. I've also hired a coach before who was thousands and thousands of dollars, and I should have done my homework. But you know what? You, you learn from all of these things. And then it also helps me because it helps me figure out, okay, well, that's not the way I would want to do, run my business or do my coaching or my mastermind. So that, that, you know, we learn from everything. But yeah, I love seeing just how much you have accomplished and you have such an amazing community. I have talked to your community maybe, gosh.

Several times.

Yeah. Oh, it was amazing. Let's talk about the importance of community. Both professionally and personally. How do you find the right community? How do you keep the right community? And why is community so important?

Yeah, I love this. So, uh, 2 answers. Number one, when I was building CLS, it occurred to me that no matter how good I might be able to become at this, it's all going to go for nothing if there's nobody there to consume it or that I could help. And so I put a major emphasis on building a community from day one. I literally remember the first thing I did. This is great. You're bringing me back right now, Amberly. I built a Facebook group, my CLS Facebook group, and I used to get so excited when I would bring new people in there because I was building a community and I would serve them. It was totally free. I was just adding value, hoping that they'd share it and it would resonate. And that got me so excited because There's a huge difference between an audience and a community. A lot of people have big fake followings, right? The metrics, whatever the case may be. But a community, they're very loyal, they're engaging. It's a human connection. And should anyone ever want to reinvent themselves or pivot, if you're building a brand and you have a community, it doesn't matter what you do, the community will come with you. Why? Because you are the vibe and they're attracted to you and you serve them. So I would highly suggest for anyone that's building a brand out there, please understand the difference between building a community and an audience and really double down on your community and make it not about you. It's a collective unit. And then in regards to real life communities, I was just having a conversation with my fiancée at dinner on Saturday. And the truth of the matter is, is like, I used to have so many friends before CLS, but like, they weren't like the most meaningful relationships. Now I'm so selective because all I really want to do is build CLS, hang out with my fiancée, my puppy, my family, and be around people like you that have a common future as me, not a common past.

Oh my goodness. I could not agree more because I just went to my very first high school reunion. I've never been to one before. And I was like, what's wrong with me? I couldn't remember things. They're like, oh, remember this time? And they were talking about stuff. high school, and I was just like, what's wrong with me? Why? And I kind of forgot about that stuff. And I am so— I want to plan amazing things for the future. I get excited about being in the moment with people, but I love to talk about amazing things that we can do in the future. And I think it's important to surround yourself with people who do have that common interest, but who don't like to sit around and gossip, but instead Plan amazing things for the future. And you said something that was, I think, so important that people really need to hear. I want to go back to what you said, adding value. And that is something that I've seen you do, like continually. You never miss a day where you're— or Saturdays, I think, is when you go live. You're always on fire, ready to go. But that's key is you had this intention about, okay, I'm going to add value. And people ask me a lot, like, how did I build my brand and even my following on social media? And I'm like, all I was focused on was how can I add value? I wasn't asking people for anything. I'm just like, what can I do to provide value? And I think that's important. And I love that you differentiate between a big following and actual community. Yeah, there's a big difference.

And you do that better than anyone, right? Because like when you throw an event, you have your loyal go-tos, right? They'll do anything that you're doing. Doesn't matter if you start talking about something totally different, they'll be around you because you develop that connection with them and that rapport. And in regard— and thank you for saying the beautiful words. And you know, one thing I have, we all have a bunch of superpowers. One of mine happens to be consistency. And I understand this, and this, this is gonna be a paradigm shift for some of your listeners. In life, you don't get what you want, you get what you're committed to, right? So, so many people come up to me now and they're like, Craig, can you please coach me? I don't care how much it costs, just, I wanna do what you're doing in a short amount of time. I'm like, that's fine, but do you wanna do what I did? Right? And, and in the beginning, in the pandemic, and you mentioned that season of grind, I think I'm still, I've been in this season of grind because I'm still in building mode, in my opinion. I have that mentality like I've never arrived. I'm adding value and putting out content. In the beginning, I would literally stay up till 2 in the morning and respond to every single person that was gracious enough to leave a comment on one of my pieces of content or shoot me a message. I would respond to everybody. Now, obviously, I can't. There's not enough time in the day, but I still, I do my best to always connect to people, let them know it's a personal connection. And then you mentioned the Paradigm Shift, the IG Live on Saturdays. Dave and I are at 122 weeks in a row with Christmas, New Year's Eve, birthdays, weddings. Wow.

I didn't realize he did. Does he do every one of them with you?

Every one. Yeah.

I didn't realize it was every single one of them with you. Wow. Now that is an incredible mentor right there.

Well, I pitched him the idea in the beginning before we were even, you know, working together. And I was very persistent. And he said yes. And I told him I wouldn't let him down. And I can't tell you how much great stuff has happened from just going live with him every single Saturday. And for the audience listening, like, consistency is available to all of us. It really just comes down to grit and effort.

It sure does. And I love that you said, yeah, you want to do— I just actually did a speaking event with John Maxwell. And he said that on stage. He said, That people will come up to him and say, I want to write a book. I want to do exactly what you're doing. And I want to be a speaker and this and that. And he, I want to do what you're doing. And, and he said the same thing. He was like, but do you want to do what I did? And, and that's so true. So true. It does take that grit and that commitment. What would you say for people who, they know they're meant for more, they want to have a more fulfilled life, but they're having a hard time going, well, I don't know what my purpose is. I don't know. If I should write a book or if I should be a coach or become a speaker, how— what would you do to suggest for people to find their purpose?

So 2 things that come to mind that I did that worked for me, and I think could be very valuable, is get quiet, right? Especially for me, like being a business owner on Wall Street in New York City. I mean, there was never a dull moment. If you're not going 300 miles an hour, you get run over. So in the pandemic, I made the intention and effort to get really quiet. And literally just connect. For me, that's God. For anyone else out there, I know for you it is too. Whatever your thing is, be able to connect and make sure that you could block out the noise, the opponent, the voice in your head, and really just get quiet. And I believe that mindfulness is the portal to expansion. So when you're in that frequency, that's when the creative divine downloads come, not when you're going 100 miles an hour and you don't have time. So you have to become available. And number 2, I would give people a tangible exercise right now. I believe this is a 7-figure exercise. I would make 2 lists. On the left-hand side, I would list 10 things that you're really passionate about, things that you love. I don't care if it's collecting stickers or reviewing movies or whatever your thing is, the top 10 things. And then on the other side, I would make a list of your 10 biggest skill sets, your superpowers. What are you really good at? Somewhere in the middle, once we collect the data, there's going to be some common ground. So for me, I was obsessed with personal development. Humbly, I could communicate pretty effectively. I married those 2. CLS was born. For other people, it's gonna be something else, but at least if you collect data, you can start to kind of get direction on where you should lean into, and then you can try new things. Look, don't be afraid to get in the damn arena. If it's not the thing, most likely it'll be the thing that leads to the thing, but you'll never know unless you get inside the arena. I believe that clarity follows action.

Oh, I love that. I do too. You never know. Where something can lead you. I mean, I never imagined honestly becoming a speaker. It wasn't like, I want to be a professional speaker. It was just like, I started doing what I could to help other people and then got asked to go talk to this group because they needed some inspiration. One thing led to another. Then before you know it, I was doing a TED Talk and then I get to share the stage with you. That was a fun time.

That was so much fun. Oh, that was the best. I love spending time with you. I could talk to you all day.

Oh, so much fun. You're so much fun. Speaking of doing something together, I am really trying to get to your book signing. Tell us when your book comes out. Tell people how they could get to see you and feel your energy in person. All the details of that, because this is huge.

Yeah, thank you. So we're doing just one book signing and we're going to go all in. I don't know how relevant today book signings are compared to maybe 10, 15 years ago, but I obviously wanted to do one and make it very special. So we're doing it on August 20th at the Grove in LA. And the night before, August 19th, we're throwing our next CLS live event called CLS LA. It's going to be in Beverly Hills. And the last event we had was unbelievable in New York City with huge guest speakers. The feedback from that event was over-delivered, the best personal development and networking event of the year and so forth. So I'm super excited to create the launch of the book, which comes out August 15th. anywhere you buy books, The Reinvention Formula, with a live event. And that's going to be in LA, August 19th. So excited about all this. I feel like this book is kind of like an introduction of me to the world. Like the last 2 and a half, 3 years was just like an appetizer and a pregame. But ultimately, I'm so excited for who this book is going to help. And the good news is, at least in my opinion, this book is for anybody in any walk of life that wants to think and play bigger or improve or reinvent in some facet of life.

Oh, that's so exciting. I can't tell you how bummed I am that I can't make your event. I will be in Denver speaking at an event. And I so— I mean, LA, it's crazy because I was there 31 years and I always felt kind of like a Texan living in California. Well, now that I've moved back to Texas, I really feel like a Californian living in Texas.

Really?

Although I did just buy a mounted Longhorn that is huge for our wall, and I put it in my story and I was like, I could be canceled, especially from the California people, because I'm carrying this big Longhorn head. So I guess I'm always a Texan at heart. But so Saturday the 19th, you're having your event. Your book comes out on the 15th. And the book signing is on the 20th.

Yep, the day after. It'll be a nice 24 hours in LA, the event and then the book signing.

That's awesome. And it's at the Grove, right?

Correct.

So huge. The Grove is unbelievable. That is amazing.

I've never been, if I'm being honest.

Oh, it's, it's like, it's incredible. And I'm glad that you're doing a book signing. I know that, you know, it's not like it was 15 years ago when people did book That was my favorite part of writing my book is the book signings because I got to go hug people and see people that I'd only known online. So—

And also, you gotta have— you have to make it a priority to have fun. Otherwise, what's the point of this journey? Right? Yes, it's all about contributing and making a massive impact. But one thing that I've really gotten better about over the last year is taking a minute and taking it in and making sure I'm having fun. So the book signing will be great for the community, but also selfishly, It's something that I wanna do. I think it's gonna be really special. So I'm so glad to hear that, to say that we chose a great spot, and I'm really, really looking forward to it.

It is fun. And thank you for that reminder of— I have, I mean, I have a sticky note on my computer that reminds me, find joy for the journey. Actually, it— that's my next book. John Gordon.

He did, he did the foreword for Reinvention Formula.

Oh my gosh. Yes. That is so cool. I didn't know he did the foreword.

Yeah, one of my really good friends. Love John.

Good people. He's good people for sure.

Well, his wife too, right? Catherine?

Catherine is one of my best friends. But he's actually the one we were talking and he's like, Amberly, I'm really good at titles for books and your next book is Joy for the Journey. And I was like, okay. So every once in a while I hear things and I'm like, you reminded me that I need to get on that Joy for the Journey and write this next book. Okay, before we go, I just have 2 more questions for you. What is your definition of resilience?

Love being challenged. Resilience, getting back up after you get knocked down and loving it. And I think that if you're not resilient, you can only get so far. And, and how do you become resilient is by being battle-tested, by continuously getting back up and developing thicker skin. So Getting knocked on your butt and getting back up.

And then one last question, because I'm just curious, like, what do you have a morning ritual that you do to stay as driven, as successful as you are? And you wear so many hats. Do you find that there are some non-negotiables that you do every day to help you be more resilient?

100%. My morning routine, Amberly, is so precious to me. And it's a little bit longer than I think most people's because as you know, we were talking before we went on air, I'm flying right now. We'll go working like maybe, you know, sometimes 13-hour days and so forth. And so for me, that quiet time, that alone time, that Craig time, if you will, is in the morning. And if I don't get that, if I don't create that space, I'm a little off. So each and every single day I wake up early before the rest of the world, not everybody, But for most people, probably something like 4:30 AM depending upon the day. And I like to go over my conquer list. I pray, I do my gratitude, have a cup of coffee, and non-negotiable, I work out 7 days a week. And it's not to look great naked or, or like it used to be in terms of physical. Obviously that's a bonus, it's a byproduct. But for me, where I do my best connecting and I just, I get that edge and I become a little bit more resilient because it's like, it's already 8 AM and I've already worked out, showered, done work, responded things, meditated, prayed, done all that. Let's go. And now I have momentum. And momentum is the hardest thing to get and the easiest thing to lose. So I work out every single day, non-negotiable. Right now I just signed up for the marathon, which I'm publicly saying for the first time on your show. So I did that because I noticed that I've been going so hard with CLS and, and my fiancée and the puppy and everything that my fitness routine has, even though I still work out every day, it's just been a little bit lackluster. Not too excited about it. So what did I do? I became aware of it and I signed up for the New York City Marathon because now you reverse engineer that. Who do I have to become to conquer that thing? 26.2 miles. And right away, I'm old school. I, I like to handwrite stuff. So I wrote down a little training schedule and last week, right away, waking up a little bit earlier, attacking the runs a little bit more excited about that. So long-winded answer, working out, praying, meditating, getting quiet, sharpening the ax, a little bit of personal development, and then we attack our day. Non-negotiable, even if I'm traveling.

I love that. And I recently did the same thing. Even though I was working out, I was like, 20-minute workout. I wasn't going as hard as I could. And I was like, same thing. I got to change this. And so I actually— this is a luxury, I know, but I used to love to box and I hired someone to hold mitts for me so I can box. And he is kicking my ass. He's a champion MMA fighter. And it's been amazing. So I think it's becoming aware and then how can you make that change? How can you make that happen?

And now you look forward to it every day. You're excited about it.

Oh yeah. It just gets— you get your spark back. But, and I think that's so important for entrepreneurs, for anybody, but especially as entrepreneurs who are in that season of grind. It's like you, if you take care of your health, Everything else improves. And I think how you do one thing is how you end up doing everything. And so, but it starts with your health, taking care of your health. I'm so excited for you. I can't wait to get your book. I'll be shouting it off the rooftops. And thank you for being on True Grit and Grace. Now tell everybody exactly where they can find you so they can grab your book, or if they want to be in your CLS community. And y'all got to listen to his podcast and check out his post on Instagram too. So tell everybody where they can find you.

Anywhere on social, @CraigSiegel_CLS. Anywhere you listen to podcasts, The CLS Experience. If you like inspirational nuggets throughout the week, you can join our free texting community. Text 917-634-3796. Text the word Amberly so I know you heard it here. And then anywhere you buy books, The Reinvention Formula. If this episode drops before August 15th, you could join our launch team where you get access to all the bonuses, the biggest virtual event we ever threw. Make sure to redeem your copy at thereinventionformula.com. And, and please come say hello. Amberly's audience and community is a lot like mine. We're just good people. We just wanna serve and add value, and I love to connect. Thank you for having me on again. I'm honored, and, and I couldn't love you anymore.

Oh, I love you, Craig. And you know what? All that information will be in the show notes. So if you're driving or out for a run or something, that phone number will be in the show notes. Make sure you show him some love. Text him Amberly so he knows where y'all heard it. Go see him at the Grove. The 20th, right? Yeah, August 20th. That's right around the corner. Anyway, thank y'all so much for tuning in. Craig, thank you so much for being on the show and sharing all those nuggets of wisdom. And thanks for tuning in, y'all. Tag me at Amberly Lago Motivation, Craig at Craig Siegel underscore CLS on Instagram. When I see that, it makes me feel so good. I share it in my post. So I just want to know that you heard it. Show him some love. And thanks again for tuning in. I will see y'all next week.