From frustrated to Fulfilled: Craig Siegel Shares the Reinvention Formula

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If you're ready to make a major upgrade in your life but need a trusted roadmap to follow, then stick around. Today's guest, Craig Segal, is here to help you upgrade your mindset so you can fulfill your potential. This is the Launch youh Business Podcast because we know starting a business is challenging, but it doesn't have to be confusing. Each week we'll give you the tactical advice and the necessary tools to scale your business without feeling burnt out. I'm Terry Rice, business development consultant and staff writer here at Entrepreneur Magazine. Let's dive in. It should go without saying that the pandemic was hard on all of us. I mean, on my end, I had to find a way to keep my kids occupied during the day while also keeping my business afloat. I, and we all had to get creative in regards to how we could maintain some semblance of normalcy during these very challenging times. And it's funny because I remember looking at my sons and at one point they just looked so unkempt, like they were in desperate need of a haircut. But I still didn't feel comfortable bringing them to the barbershop. So I decided I'm just going to cut their hair myself. I mean, I had nothing to lose. We weren't really going anywhere. And I figured if I could get good at this, I would save a lot of money going forward by cutting their hair myself. So years later, I'm still cutting their hair and I'm actually not embarrassed for them to go out in public afterwards. And I imagine several people picked up hobbies or new skills during the pandemic that they're still using to this day, which is amazing. But here's what stood out to me. It seemed like everyone was in this rush to get back to normal, just clinging and longing for the life they had before the pandemic. And look, that's somewhat understandable. I mean, who likes wearing a mask on a plane or eating a sandwich on a sidewalk, especially here in Brooklyn. But at the same time, it does make sense to ask yourself, what part of my life do I want to go back to? And what part do I want to leave in the past? For today's guest, the answer to that question was a lot. Craig Siegel is a value based and high energy global keynote speaker, as well as the host of the podcast the CLS Experience. When the pandemic happened, Craig just felt like he wanted something different out of life. He says he felt spiritually guided. So he left his lucrative and comfortable job on Wall street and went all in with his passion and purpose to help people upgrade their mindset and fulfill their potential. And that's what he's here to talk about today. And this is going to be a juicy conversation. He'll talk about how we pivoted from work that was unfulfilling and how you can do the same. The difference between a good miss and a bad miss. More on that shortly. So stay tuned. And how death is a concept that can be helpful in optimizing your life. So you definitely want to stick around to see how that one lands. This is clearly going to be an intriguing conversation, so let's hop into it right now. First of all, Craig, thanks so much for being here today.

Harry, thank you so much for having Me, I'm excited. I'm a fan. Let's create some magic. Let's get nuts.

Yeah, yeah, let's go for it. And before we get nuts, I obviously know who you are, but do you mind introducing yourself to our listeners here?

Yeah, absolutely. So I basically have two lives. One of them was prior to the pandemic and lockdown in which I grew up. Not exactly with direction, kind of lost in the wilderness with no compass. But I was ambitious and went to college because that's what I was supposed to do based upon society and my upbringing and so forth. No idea what I wanted to do next, but I was infatuated with stocks and so forth. And I'm from New York, ended up on Wall street, ended up having a 13 year career, did the stock thing for a while, started making a lot of money. So by that sense I was successful. Based upon how I viewed success at that season of life, clearly I was a bit more immature and unenlightened. I ended up pivoting from that because it stopped becoming fun. And a couple years back, I found myself in a pretty dark season. I had just got out of a toxic relationship. My best friend, my dad had just gotten diagnosed with cancer. And even though I had my own business, I was making money. Like I said, I wasn't exactly putting a dent in the universe. And I found myself a little bit down. And that's a big understatement. I started drinking more than I'd like to admit. I think I was just trying to escape my reality. But I didn't stay there long. I'm not sure if I found running or running found me. Talk about divine intervention. And we could touch on that later. But I started running a bunch of marathons, which is awesome. Wasn't looking to become a pro or anything like that. I was just looking to find myself, do some hard things, cultivate some confidence. And it worked. And I started to become available and then fast forward. The pandemic, slash lockdown. I mean, talk about a global awakening. But for me specifically, Terry, it was a historic opportunity because for the first time in my adult life, really my life in general, I just took a second to get quiet and reassess. And it occurred to me that I been miserable for quite some time. And I did this eulogy exercise that I'm really big on. And that is to visualize if it was my funeral in a couple weeks down the line and this was it for me. What would be said, who would show up, Did I leave an impact? Did I leave a Mark. And the sad reality at that time was, no, it was not. And I made it so real for myself that I would actually rather have died than chosen to go back and be miserable after the lockdown. And. And so from there, I started getting these downloads, and it was like, of course, I'm obsessed with personal development. I'd been studying it for 15 years, documenting it, learning a lot. But what if it was more than just a passion? What if it was a purpose? Literally on that frequency and that vibration. The next day, on a run in Central park, it came to me. Cultivate lasting symphony. Cls. Always loved the word symphony. I'm a bit of a strange cat. It's also a play on my initials, Craig Landon Siegel. And I said, I don't want to be the next Tony Robbins. I want to be the first Craig Siegel. And if I'm going to do this, for the first time in my life, I'm going to show up real, raw, authentic, the real me for the first time ever. Was it scary? Absolutely. I had no following, no connections, no nothing at the time. But for me, the cost of inaction, or the coi, like I like to say, was way too high. And so I left Wall Street. I burned the boats, as they say. I went all in. And over the last two years, it's exploded. And that's how you and I got here today, love.

And it's funny, because I also used to work on Wall street, not. Not doing stocks. I worked at a SaaS company, but I got laid off in 2009. So I went through an unintended reinvention, but I ended up getting, like, a $60,000 raise at the next job. So I was like, this is. This worked out pretty well. But I know a lot of our listeners are also going through a reinvention. Maybe they just started their own company or they're making some changes. And I know you're a pro at that. So what guidance would you give anyone listening on how to successfully navigate reinvention?

Yeah. So good. And I think there's a couple things, right? One thing you couldn't deny is that I'm an expert in reinvention. I had one life and career for a very long time, and then I pivoted and had great success in another one with no experience. So, first and foremost, whatever reason that you're telling yourself or that's keeping you playing it small or not going all in or not taking that shot, just understand that your thoughts are not facts. For me, I was so invested in this story, a few years back that this was it for me. I was a Wall street guy. I make a little bit of money. I never really fall in love and all that stuff. It's just not in the cards for me. And when I got quiet in the beginning of Pandemic and I started to really just be present, and I think mindfulness is the portal to expansion. That's when the good ideas come and so forth, it occurred to me that I actually have a choice. I can invest in a different story, a different movie, if you will. I wasn't in love with the current movie. I needed to change the cast of characters, the plot, the next scene, and really everything about it. I woke up one day and realized all I had to change was absolutely everything. And so I started investing in a different story. And instead of thinking about what can go wrong, I started thinking about, well, what can go right? What do I love? What am I good at? And for anyone out there that wants to reinvent themselves, let's just say you start to get confidence, you start to feel worthy. And just to be clear, I think unworthiness is the worst virus going today. It's not real. Start making a list. What are the five or six things that you absolutely love? If you don't have to worry about money or anything like that, what would you wake up and want to do? I would make a second list. And I'm a big journaler, so I would highly suggest everyone grab a journal and do this second list is, well, what are you actually good at? And trust me, there are things that you're good at. And I think your superpower is somewhere in between of the things that you love and the things that you're good at. And you will absolutely find some commonalities. And then I would marry the two. And right away, we are onto something. Now we have some clarity.

I love that. But listen, I'm going to share more about my experience because I think it'll make it more contextually relevant for everybody else. So in 2015, I left my job at Facebook and I started my own business doing Facebook ads for other companies. But here's the thing, and I hate admitting this part, okay? I was charging $250 per month to run Facebook ads, even though I had just left Facebook. Right. So there's not many people in the world who are better at this than I am. For some reason, that's how much I was charging, because I just wanted to get a yes. So clearly there were some mindset challenges there. What would you have said to me back in 2015, if I came to you and said, hey, Craig, I just started this business and I'm charging 250 bucks a month, it seems like it makes sense to me.

Yeah, this one is pretty simple, I would say. Do you agree that there's not too many people on this planet that know more about Facebook ads than you? I imagine you'd say, I would agree with that because you just came from the company. Do you think if someone charged you a thousand instead of that 250, that they would have felt like they got their money's worth and that you really added value to them? And I'd be curious to hear what you have to say. But I imagine you'd say, yeah, I think I would still deliver. So I think it's. It's a muscle and a skill set to learn how to receive. Right. And that's what I see a lot of people, like, they want the money, they want the abundance, they want the cars, all these things, because they think that once they get those things, it'll give them that feeling of having a lit soul. You can actually activate your lit soul right here and now. And then, ironically, you end up manifesting the things that you thought you needed to activate that lit soul. So for you, in that specific example, I would. Is it possible that you're undervaluing yourself based upon how good you are, how seasoned you are, and your expertise? And I would obviously suggest raising the price a little bit, but also, just because you came from Facebook and you were good at it, I get the feeling that maybe doing Facebook ads wasn't exactly your purpose or your assignment, so to speak. Am I right?

You're right. That's why I don't do anymore. So. So, you know. Yeah, well, this is like a little crystal ball going on here. I dig it. So let's.

Let's.

Let's keep going along here because. And I think that, that. That advice is valuable, but throughout your entrepreneurial journey, no matter how prepared you are, you're going to face setbacks. And sometimes those can be extremely impactful. So how can we better navigate the setbacks that all of us are going to encounter?

Yeah, great question. I think there's a big difference between failing and being a failure. Being a failure is finite. That means you did something, it didn't work out, and you're done, you quit. As long as you're failing. To me, my paradigm says that you're trying. Right. Because nothing goes up in a straight line, or else it wouldn't be worthwhile. So Specifically in entrepreneurship, you gotta have thick skin, you gotta be bold, you gotta be able to take a punch, you gotta be able to take things not so personally and understand that every time you have a setback or you make a, and I quote, a mistake, as long as there's a lesson learned that you can extract to make you better, more experienced, more seasoned for the next endeavor or for the next move, it's actually a win, right? Because there's nothing that can really substitute for life experience. So, full disclosure, spoiler alert, Entrepreneurship, or anything in the world really worth creating is going to be challenging. Specifically in the beginning. I don't think you can replace that season of grind where you're really working now. Hopefully you love it. So it doesn't really feel like work for me, for example. But ultimately you're going to learn from Mrs. And there's such thing as a good miss and a bad miss. And as long as you're having good misses in your learning and you're figuring out what doesn't work so you could reapply to what should work and so forth, and you surround yourself with the right people, specifically the people that are a little bit further ahead than you. Not better, but further ahead, because that's how you learn. Mentorship, coaches and stuff like that, it's all a part of the process.

Let's go deeper because you mentioned a book. Can you share some information about the book with us too, please?

Yeah. So we signed a record first time author book deal with Wiley Publishing. It's called the Reinvention Formula. It comes out August 15th. It's available pre orders right now, which I'm really excited about. And you know, for the last 15 years I had really been sharpening the ax. I was studying nlp, Kabbalah, emotional intelligence, the law of attraction, historic figures. And I've been journaling and documenting it for years. I was just a gladiator in the wrong arena. And I had success in quotations, depending upon what your definition of success is, all those years. But I found myself unfulfilled, unhappy in a really dark place. So I finally put it together in the lockdown when I got quiet to really ask myself why I'm here, what is my purpose, what are my gifts, so to speak. And it wasn't just a career reinvention. I just got engaged last summer. It was really my whole life. I'm a whole different person if I'm being honest. And so I took all the stuff that I had been studying for 15 years to put it all together in The Pandemic and then rocket launch CLS in two years. And I put it into one vessel, the reinvention formula. And I'm really excited about it because I talk a lot about my journey, specifically the setbacks and the mistakes. And what were the lessons that I learned that you can extract and that are tangible, that someone can apply immediately. And then also a lot of the things that have made CLS so successful in a relatively short amount of time, whether it's personal branding, entrepreneurship in general, how to date your audience, all the things, all the mindset shifts and so forth. And so look, you can never guarantee commercial success. I'm very blessed to say that everything so far in CLS has worked out really big because I'm in alignment and so forth. But what's most important to me is that someone picks up this book and is a completely different person. And they now have the blueprint to unlock a bulletproof mindset and reinvent themselves in any capacity, wherever they see fit. And I'm really excited about it.

As an entrepreneur, you're good at solving other people's problems, but what about the problems that arise within your own business? Maybe you're not getting enough leads or you're having trouble increasing your rates. Maybe you're stuck working around the clock and still not making enough money. These are all symptoms of a larger problem. And unfortunately, you can't fix problems you're unaware of. And that means no matter how hard or how smart you work, you'll never reach your full revenue potential. So let's fix that. I've created the Revenue Roadblock Checklist, a visual and tactical solution to help you identify and eliminate revenue roadblocks. So if you're feeling stuck or stagnant in your business, this is your chance to finally break through to the next level. Grab your free checklist by heading to TerryRice Co money. That's Terryrice Co Money. I'm going to ask you a weird question.

Love weird.

But you said, hey, we're going to get weird. Are there times when you almost missed the isolation that came with the pandemic? And if so, have you proactively found ways to maybe go on retreats, you know, every quarter or something like that, just to kind of get that. That silence you can see, hear the signal through the noise?

That's an awesome question. And I can honestly say I've never been asked that before. And I imagine you did your homework. Because I started CLS in isolation in the Pandemic. I started on Zooms, on the podcast and coaching and social media and so forth. So it's really an interesting question. You know, the really cool part about entrepreneurship, and I think what's glorified about it is that it allows you freedom. So I have the ability to, if I want to take a day or if I want to go away for a little bit, if I want to work remotely, I can do that for the first time in my life because I don't have an office on Wall street, so to speak. So it's not necessarily that I miss it. I always have my solo long runs that I look forward to during the week where I'm connected to God and I do my best thinking. So fortunately, I'm able to do that when I need to and fill up my cup.

Yeah, I have four kids, so I can't do that. But I'm also an introvert. And before and after I speak at a public appearance, I am hiding because I just need to recharge and declare my thoughts. But it's funny because we had TI on the podcast a few weeks ago, and I mentioned that Live youe Life was one of my favorite songs he ever created. And he's like, you know, it's funny that that album came out because I was being very introspective at the time because I was on house arrest. He's like, normally when you're making an album, you're in the studio, you're there all night, people are drinking, smoking, and everything. He's like, I had to be home by 10am 10pm so just being with myself and my own thoughts is really what pulled this great work out of me. Right. So that is when you don't want to go back to the pandemic. I'm sure he doesn't want to go to prison, but you can appreciate, you know, just kind of blocking out some of those additional thoughts and noise.

What a great point. And I'm not shocked to hear that you're an introvert as well. But. But yeah, there's something to be said about being able to take some time to fill up your cup and so forth. And I think that's pretty cool. The analogy you gave with TI Makes sense.

So let's. Let's continue with that, because one thing that I heard you talk about is this, the power of giving something a second thought. And I don't want to tee this up. I'm just going to hand it on over to you. Like, what's the benefit of giving opportunities or anything along those lines? A second thought.

Yeah. So based upon science, don't take my word for it, most of the thoughts that we get over the course of the day are negative. And most people don't have systems in place to navigate through that. So if they wake up with anxiety or negative thoughts, this is a good indication that the rest of their day is going to be bit negative. And you don't manifest what you want in life, you manifest what you are, right? So whatever is coming into your life is really just feedback on the vibe that you're giving off. I mean, this is a vibrational universe. Everything is energy. So understanding that thoughts are not facts. And another thing I like to say is thoughts are random thinking is not. So whatever negative thoughts come into your head, you have the ability to replace them with more empowering ones. If they're negative, you can get them out. Just like an intruder in your house, you could put in a more powerful one. I am worthy, I can, I am resourceful, I am creative, I do have self belief and so forth. And when you continuously make an effort to stay mentally fit and be in control of the thoughts that you allow to take up real estate. And if you don't like the first one, just remember, thoughts are not facts. Choose a different thought. Now all of a sudden you start to cultivate better beliefs. And better beliefs ultimately dictate your behaviors and what you actually get done and how you perform. So that ultimately leads to your results. So the bottom line is understanding that you have a choice on which thoughts you want to allow to marinate. That's why everyone always says thoughts become things. It's true. So make sure that if you don't like the first thought, which is probably more often than you realize, just being aware that you can choose a different thought will change the entire physiology and landscape of your mindset.

I like that approach. Thoughts are not facts. So it's like if you hear a no, it's like, oh, it's a no, not, not now. But you can shift this one way or another. Or maybe that no is giving you more opportunities to take on another project or role you want to take on. So it's not, you don't have to become that feeling, right?

You can shift and just, just. I love that you said that. Just to piggyback on that for a second. If you believe that if you get rejected or someone says no or something like that, that you're actually being protected, propelled and promoting to something greater, then when that no comes, like you just said, no, not right now, or I'm being promoted to something better now, all of A sudden your mindset shifts because you really believe that. So you stay available for the next opportunity as opposed to sulking and being down. And just like we said, you manifest what you are. So if you realize that it's just a no right now, or you're being protected something greater now, you stay available and you become a vibrational match for that next thing.

So let's get weirder. Okay.

Love getting weirder.

One thing that I've heard you say as well is death is the ultimate hack. So how can one use this hack without actually dying?

Yeah. Wow, this is deep. So, you know, the word scarcity often gets misconstrued as the opposite of abundance. And in some scenarios that might be true. But I think scarcity, with a different paradigm shift, can be your best asset. Right. Just the simple fact that at some point after this human experience, at some point, we can all agree that the human experience will come to an end, and you don't want to wait until it's over and to regret it. So it's just like, think about this. If you were an athlete and you won every single game you ever played and the outcomes were predetermined, wouldn't that take away the fun? The very concept of losing is what gives meaning to winning. Because you know there's a chance you can lose, so you want to win and it becomes more special. So the very concept of death, think of it as a life hack on your shoulder, understanding that you don't know when that last moment might be. I need to make every single second count, have a sense of urgency. You know, I see far too many people living like we're going to live twice. I was one of those cats a few years before the pandemic. I felt stuck. And I want to be very clear, I wasn't actually stuck. I just felt stuck. And then I realized I had a choice. And part of the core message that we teach in cls, in the book, and so forth, is to help everybody create a sense of urgency, get inside the arena, make things happen, and just understanding that it might all be over at some moment, we just don't know when. That should give so much more mindfulness and presence to this very second. And as I like to say to myself every morning, stack magical moments, right? Not a whole magical day. That's great, too. But how can I make this conversation between me and you right now the best it could possibly be? And that's not worrying about what's going to happen 20 minutes from now, and especially not worrying about my brand new puppy that's sitting under my desk right now. I'm just focused on you literally this very moment. And I know when I do that, that's when the magic happens. Because like I said, mindfulness is the portal to expansion.

Craig, thank you so much for all the guidance you provided. This is amazing. I'm taking notes here, but I'm definitely going to listen to this again. But can you just remind us, how do you help people and where can we learn more about you?

Yeah, great question. So we're pretty accessible. You can find us anywhere on social media. Rex Siegel, cls Anywhere you listen to podcasts. The record Breaking the CLS experience. Unbelievable guests. One of the top self improvement podcasts on the planet. Um, if you like daily inspiration, totally free, you could join our texting community. Just text 917-634-3796 Text the word Terry. So I know it came from this conversation. And then obviously anywhere you buy books, Reinvention formula. If you want to check out some of our services and our programs and how you can get involved in our community and so forth, go to the website cultivatelastingsymphony.com we have a monthly membership with awesome humans, like minded, interacting strategies, branding, entrepreneurship, all that stuff. Most importantly, come say hello. One thing I really take pride in is projecting a really personal and human experience. So as we continue to grow and scale, obviously I can't respond to everybody's message like I once could in the very beginning, but I do my best to get there. So come say hello. I love to interact and I love to meet great people.

Awesome. So, last question. I'll let you go. Love asking this one. What is one lesson about entrepreneurship that you wish you learned sooner?

It's a phenomenal question. And the truth of the matter is, is I wouldn't have done anything differently because I did so many things right compared to the rest of my life. Because when I really reinvented myself, I just changed, like my whole demeanor. I first of all became much more humble. I realized that I got to put my ego aside and I don't know what I don't know. And I started surrounding myself with people that were a little bit further ahead. I think mentorship and coaches are huge. You should absolutely invest in yourself and get in the rooms. You know, I was able to do that pretty early on and it really accelerated my growth. You can get strategies, you start thinking and playing a little bit bigger. So for anyone that's looking to step into this, my biggest suggestion is to surround yourself with the right, people. I've been very intentional and very selective with everything we've done, everybody we've collaborated with. And so far, over a little over two years, I say very humbly, it's exploded and a lot of things have worked. So I really wouldn't have changed the thing. And one other thing I'll say is this. For anyone out there that's building a brand, because I know that's very important these days, is to associate yourself as a personal brand. Really focus on building a community. Because you could have the best product or service in the world, but if there's no one there to receive it, it's good for nothing. So surround yourself with people that can help you and grow a community. And never stop learning. I stay mentally fit every single day now. It's part of my career. But I always sharpen the ax. I'm always learning, reading, listening to podcasts, whatever the case may be, so that I can become a little bit better and more seasoned.

Awesome. Thanks, Craig. Appreciate it.

Thank you.

And that's our show for today. You can learn more about Craig by visiting cultivatelastingsymphony.com and don't forget to check out his podcast, the CLS Experience. And by the way, he has a new book coming out, the Reinvention Formula, so you should definitely keep an eye out for that as well. Thanks for listening and I'll catch up with you next time. Apply what you've learned on today's show. You'll find the show notes and more resources@terryrice.podcast Again, that's Terryrice Co Podcast, and the best way to support this podcast is by subscribing, telling a friend, and leaving a review. Also, you can get more tips by following me on Instagram @TerryRice or follow me on LinkedIn. This episode was produced by Josh Wilcox of Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Dan Lardy. Special thanks to my wife, Dominique, for keeping our kids relatively quiet as I recorded. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you next time.