Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan - #235: Empowerment Is At Your Fingertips! With Craig Siegel, Keynote Speaker & Performance & Mindset Coach

Episode Date: July 19, 2022

In This Episode You Will Learn About:  Thoughts are NOT facts   How to level up & take risks Empowering yourself  Resources: Website: www.cultivatelastingsymphony.com  Join The CLS Membership  Listen to The CLS Experience  Email: [e-mail]  LinkedIn: @Craig Landon Siegel Instagram: @craigsiegel_cls Facebook: @Cultivate Lasting Symphony Twitter: @CraigSiegel_CLS Youtube: @Craig Siegel Overcome Your Villains is Available NOW! Order here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com  If you haven't yet, get my first book Confidence Creator Show Notes:  Are you disempowering yourself with your thoughts? Once you become aware of the power you and your brain has, you can replace this negative self-talk with strategic and positive thoughts! Don’t be so hard on yourself. Small wins add up, so you’ll be reaching your goals in no time! It’s time to level up and go after your DREAMS. After all, you can’t lose what you don’t have, so take the risk!   About The Guest: Craig Siegel is a value based, high energy keynote speaker, and inspirational thought leader! Endorsed by some of the world’s most well known celebrities, Craig helps people upgrade their mindsets and fulfill their ultimate potential. With his unique combination of energy, motivation, inspiration, charisma, and business success he has founded and successfully helped millions of people worldwide with his Cultivating Lasting Symphony program.   If You Liked This Episode You Might Also Like These Episodes: The #1 Way To STOP Fearing and START Living In Your Power with Sarah Pendrick  How To Get OUT Of Your Own Way with THE Executive Coach Beth Handel  Step Into The Unknown & Conquer Fear with Heather!  

Thoughts are not facts. They're just random. So thoughts are random thinking is not. So anytime that you're feeling low vibe, it's just that your thoughts are disempowered at the moment. So anytime like you're having an off day or whatever the case it would be, it's just feedback to let you know that your thoughts are out of whack and disempowering. And you can literally be mindful, acknowledge that,

and then go in and replace them with more productive, constructive, strategic thoughts. Once you really become mindful of it and always, where, which really change everything for me, you can be strategic which thoughts you allow to to take up real estate inside your mind. That changes everything. I'm on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals. We overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. I'm ready for my quota.

Hi, and welcome back. I'm so excited for you to meet my friend and our guest today, Craig Siegel. He's a value-based high-energy keynote speaker and rising thought leader. as featured in entrepreneur and endorsed by some of the world's most well-known celebrities, entertainers, athletes, and entrepreneurs, such as Rob Deirdrick, Ed Milette, Bethany Hamilton, Suzanne Summers, Alicia Silverstone, and NFL Hall of Famer, Ryan Dawkins. When the pandemic hit, Kreck felt guided and left his lucrative and stable job on Wall Street, and went all in with his passion and purpose to help people upgrade their mindset and fulfill their potential. Craig's unique combination of energy, motivation, inspiration, charisma, and business success

has led to the meteoric rise of Cultivate Lasting Symphony, CLS, a contagious never-before-seen explosion that has impacted millions of lives worldwide. Craig, thanks so much for being here today. Wow, what an unbelievable introduction. Usually I'm the one dishing them out on the podcast, but I'm so excited to be here. We become really good friends. And every time we get together, we create magic. So let's get nuts. So one of those things I want everyone to know listening in right now. And it's so important. It's so basic, but so important.

Craig and I have become friends for a while now, you know, definitely over a year and support each other and encourage each other all the time. I never thought to have you as a guest on the podcast just didn't cross my mind. And the other day, Craig sends me a text. And he's like, hey, Heather, would love to support you on your show. Is there any chance that I could come on the show? Here's what I could do to help support it. I think I could add some value for your listeners. Two things there that I want to highlight

as to why you're successful and I want my listeners doing the same and it's something I practice every day. Number one, if we're going to reach out to somebody, make it about them and how we can add value to them. That's 101, sales 101, ask 101. And then number two, ask. I mean, so few of us, a closed mouth will never be fed. We need to show up and ask what is the worst that can happen. So, Craig, thank you for asking. First of all, I love that you said that a closed mouth doesn't get fed. It's one of my favorite expressions. Also, you can't lose what you don't have, right?

And one of the ways that I got that strategy was by listening to your awesome podcast and you always preach that stuff, two things. How can you provide value, right? Like start the conversation with that. And then obviously you have to ask. You have to take a swing. So we're in alignment with both these things. So it's funny, we were just actually, as Craig is really getting it big into the speaking

business, we were just talking offline. And I was saying, Craig, you need to check them. box and add the TEDx. It's one more certification or credibility that you can add as a speaker and people like it. It's just something that they like to see. So we were brainstorming around landing your first TEDx and it goes back to that same fundamental we just described, which is about how can I add value to them? How can I make it about them? Right. And then really just doing the work and showing up and asking. And so so often people are afraid to put themselves out there, they're not. nervous of what if I'm told now? What if it goes poorly? How do you break through those fears and get

yourself to level up and go to the TEDx? Yeah, this is going to get real deep, real quick. Between me and you and obviously all your listeners, it's like, I don't fear death at this point of my life. What I fear most is not living life on my terms and not making the most of every second and take advantage of opportunities and make an impact and contribute. So any great idea or any way I could facilitate the growth of the brand, which enables us to make an impact and so forth, I'm all for it. And I don't really see fear in asking if somebody were to say no,

whatever the case would be. And like, spoiler, like, it's not my business what anybody thinks of me. Like, I'm sure there's people out there that don't love me, as I'm sure, hard to believe, but there might be people out that it doesn't love Heather. But it is what it is. And let's just be honest.

Like, there's people out there that we don't love. It is what it is. So you got to take a shot. You got to take a swing. And you have to have a sense of urgency. make every second count. Thank you for sharing that. There's another element to this conversation that I've been thinking a lot about lately and I didn't used to. And it's all about planning the seed. So what I mean by that is sometimes when we ask for something, we're told no at first.

Happens to me all of the time. But maybe a year, two years later, months later, you get that person coming back around saying, oh yeah, wait a minute, I remember it. And I remember specifically in my career when I was a VP of sales back in the broadcasting business. I remember saying to someone, I want to headline this conference. He had a massive conference that I wanted that main stage. And I planted the seed in his mind. He said no, right? He declined that opportunity, sadly.

But I planted a seed in his mind. And it came full circle one year later when I got a note from him saying, hey, Heather, we're looking for some C-suite executives to participate this year. Would you be willing to take main stages as the keynote? And so I truly believe he wouldn't have reached out to me had I not planted that seed. So sometimes when you're told to know, it's just because it's that first step, planting a seed and then watching what booms from there. Would you agree with that?

100%. And for being on Wallachute for 10, 11 years, like, spoiler, like not every sale gets closed on the first ask. Right? Sometimes you build a pipeline. You plant your seeds just as you attested to. And ultimately, it's the long game mentality. And when I say long game, it's not to scare the audience. It takes three to five years, but it's just that get first downs, get first down, sprinkle,

plant some seeds and so forth. And they usually always pay off. If not then, then it comes back around when it's mutually beneficial. And obviously, the other person sees it as a win-win. Timing is everything. Timing is everything in personal life or in business. And I'm constantly reminded about this. All right, Craig, you made a major leap from my leap.

I was pushed out the window. You chose to make a leap, which I feel like is such a bigger deal. why then, why when a pandemic hits and it feels like it's more unstable than ever, to me, I would think most people are clinging on to corporate America and you're running from it. How did that happen? I just got to a place, Heather, where I was straight up miserable. Like, yes, it was lucrative. But as it turns out, and I'm sure you can attest to, success isn't measured only by how much

money you make, right? Like, for me, this season, it's measured by how happy I am or how to give an impact they make. And I was in a dark place. I had a bunch of things going on at once. And ultimately, in the beginning of the pandemic, when there was a lockdown and I shut down my office, like, and I really grounded myself for the first time, maybe ever. And, like, asked myself those deep, powerful questions. Like, I realized, like, I don't want this lockdown to end because I don't want to go back.

It felt like hell. Like, I was waking up, like, going to a J.O.B, even though Louvre and my own business. But for what? Like, what's the point? And this ties back to, like, that. that deep analogy, there's a eulogy exercise that I recently posted on social media. It goes back to the concept of death. And I really got deep with myself. And I was like, if this was it for me, like in a couple weeks, like, what would people say about at my funeral?

Like, yes, I had some good relationships, some good friends, family and so forth, but did I leave a legacy, that I really contribute, did I make an impact, that I put a dent in the universe? And the tough answer was no. And then I started to ask myself, well, what would make me happy? What am I good at. And from studying personal development for so long, I was able to put together a strategy, essentially combine, making an impact and making a living. And what I love is personal development. And what I happen to be gifted at is being a communicator. And so I said, I don't want to be the next Tony Robbins. I want to be the first Craig Siegel. I don't know for certain that this thing's going to work. I have no online business experience, but I'm willing to try if it meant not going back.

And I went all in straight up. It's such a competitive space, a space where people had years, jumpstart on you that you got into this space, in my opinion, at the worst time ever, maybe you see it differently. But to me, it was definitely, you know, an isolating time. It was a difficult time. You were able to grow your show so incredibly quickly. Your social media channel is so incredible. When so many people were buying for what you were able to achieve, why did you achieve

it and so many other people not? I don't want this to come across as arrogant because it's not. But ultimately, when I see spaces that are saturated, as they say, you can look at it from two different perspectives, right? I think most people say they probably look at it and think oversaturation, I'll never have a chance, right? I'll just be a spoke on the wheel. But as a trailblazer and somebody that believes in themselves and is more importantly willing to put in the work to improve, I said to myself, you know what? It's a saturated space, but that's a good thing because there's always room for the best. And it just means there's a market for it.

Right. And I love personal development. Like it comes natural to me, like waking up every day and sharpening the acts and consuming positive content and learning how to revamp our our mindset and learning about the law of attraction. Like, this isn't work to me. This conversation is not work to me. I genuinely love this stuff. And I said, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I will pay the price and I'll negotiate the price in advance, meaning I understand it will get

challenging because I don't have all the experience of the online space, but I'm willing to do the work, so to speak. And I just went nuts. And obviously, I was intentional and strategic with the people I collaborated with, with the relationships I formed. But ultimately, when I see something that's really sad, you know, and I'm going to be. I challenge the audience listening today. It just means that there's more of a market for it.

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You come at things so differently than me. It's so funny to see. I love hearing your perspective on it. When you look back at your career in corporate America and Wall Street, are the same reasons you found success, quote unquote, success there, the same reasons that you find success now or no? That's a really good question. And no one's ever asked me that. I think there's definitely key characteristics that can give you success in any arena. Right. Like, for example, I recently started running a bunch of marathons. I'd never been. a runner and I've been successful running them at a pretty fast time and so forth. Do I think that there's traits that I use to run marathons that I use to have success in Wall Street and also CLS? Yes, I do. Obviously, hard work, put in the hours, mindset, and stuff of that nature. But ultimately, obviously, as a gladier in two different arenas, there's different things to be successful in the online space, to be a keynote speaker that it is to be on Wall Street. But I think some principles always apply, right? It's like, it's not Wall Street. It's not Wall Street.

that made me successful or corporate America that made you successful. It was you, Heather, that was successful. And essentially, you can apply that to anything as long as you're able to gain some product knowledge and gain some strategy. And I really believe that. But so many people who are listening right now and I've been there, I have so been there, are thinking it's the title. No, it's the company I work for. No, you know what? It's the industry that I'm in. You know what? No, it's the team that are those like they're looking at. it everything around them. And I used to do the same thing. I would hated my job like you. I would come home and say, why am I doing this? This is a nightmare. I'm like losing years of my life just to make money. This is awful.

But you know what? What if I make that leap? And it was the title. It was the company. It was the industry. How were you able to break through that? Well, hold on a second. Let's unpack that by a second. How were you able to transition and have so much success? I mean, I know your story very well because aside from us being really good friends, I'm also a fan and I listen to what you have to say. And often you talk about like just getting your hands dirty, right? Like reaching out to companies, seeing like who needs a speaker. Okay, well, what the people usually speak on? I've heard you say, well, usually it's authors.

They speak on their book. That's a good way to get into the field, right? It sounds like you were born with those traits, but you put in the work. You Googled it. You figured stuff out. You taught me how to do the Google Alert. So now all these TEDx things are emailing me about how to get involved, you know, in the East Coast and so forth.

So I don't think any of that stuff is really rocket science. So the listeners out there that put this limiting belief in their mindset that they're only successful because I challenge you to look at that from a different light. You're successful because of you and how hungry you are, how passionate you are, what you're willing to do to achieve success and so forth. And I believe you can translate that into anything. And it has nothing to do with the title. It comes out to do with how bad do you want it.

Okay. This is so reminding me of a call I had earlier with one of my dearest girlfriend. I mean, literally love this girl. She's a ride or die of friend. She's going through a potential career transition right now. She's been in sales in a lapeluster food industry for a while. Doesn't love it. Makes good money, whatever.

And it affords her life with her daughter and to have great friends and have fun. But she says to me, the company was just acquired. I can see the writing on the wall. She said, Heather, is this the moment I should lean in and double down on the current job? Or is this the universe telling me to pick my head up and see what is available to me, you know, I'm like, dude, if you're calling me, you already know the answer. It's time to pick your head up. It's time to look at it and develop and write down. What is it that you really want to do? What are you passionate about? She's like, but I don't know. I said, I'll tell you, you love

fashion. You love relationships. You love being, like, write those things down. I'm not asking you to tell me the number of job, you know, just write down what it is that you love. Write down what it is that you like to do and who you want to be around. And then let's read that list together and start brainstorming what jobs might actually fit that bill. I think we've been doing it backwards for so long. You see an opening. You apply for the opening. And then suddenly that's all you're meant to do. I mean, how would you have responded to her? I agree with you 100%. The writing is ready on the wall. The fact that she's asking these questions is obviously a good sign, but it also tells us like that's the answer right there. And also like, but where do I start?

How do I gain clarity? Right. And you talk. about writing stuff down. And here's something interesting that I challenge the listeners as well. Like, people want to wait for the perfect time to get clarity. In my personal opinion, and this is going to sound maybe controversial, clarity follows action, not the other way around. Like, fortune favors the brave. Like, just get your hands dirty. Like, take out a journal. What am I good at? What is a problem that the world needs solved right now? What are my passions and so forth? And ultimately, you'll collect some data and at least you'll get a little bit of the direction and then you can get some momentum.

But ultimately, you have to take some action. Even an action as getting a journal and writing stuff down like you suggested to your friend, to me, that's action. Clarity will follow that. Oh, it's so, so true. Craig, I know you're big into mindset and abundance like I am. How has the law of attracted impact your life? This stuff, I can't talk about this stuff enough.

And for the longest time, I was skeptical of it because the woo-woo stuff and it was beyond my senses, mindset I was always about. like changing what you associate pain and pledges do, how to cultivate confidence on command and so forth. But this law of attraction stuff is just a different animal, right? It's like a little more below the surface. It's really awesome, straight up. And the best thing that I got from it right now is just being available for all the abundance

out there. Like how many times do people say, like, I want to manifest this or I think this? Like, you don't manifest what you want. You manifest what you are. What you can sustain vibrational. What are you a. match for. And this is really good news, right? Because for the audience, this thing out there, that's like, wait a minute, I've been wanting this or I desire this for so long,

but I'm not receiving the results. Well, that's feedback right there because you get back what you are, not what you want. So that's like basically go inside, change your frequency, tune up a little bit, pay attention to who you surround yourself with, what you're tuned into, and get on a higher vibe to make it digestible for the audience. And then you'll attract other things. There's a big difference between thinking something, believing it, and then actually feeling it. And we were talking before, we went on air in speaking stuff. And now that I've, you know, much more experience and so forth. Like, bottom line is you manifest what you are. And this is really good for the audience because sometimes it can sound very confusing, this law of attraction

stuff. That's a good way to simplify it, is that you are a vibrational match for whatever it is that you're getting. And if you want to get better results, become a match, become more available for that stuff out there. And once I really started honing in on that, it made me understand it a lot better. And now I feel like I live in the quantum. Oh my gosh. Have you been reading Dr. Joe Dispens's work?

I have read his work, yeah. So I've been big into that recently. I actually need to have him on the show too. But you articulated it very well. For me, for a long time, right? And you know this. I was working side by side with someone who hated me. I was in a very negative environment, low energy, right?

You're always looking over your shoulder. You're unhappy. you're not in that vibrational energy that you describe that you need to be living if you want to try, right? So I'd be in this low vibe negative situation at work and I'd be thinking, this is what I want, an amazing career where I'm appreciated and I'm doing good in the world. But because I'm in this low negative situation, it was never matching up. For me, I had to fire that villain. She thought she fired me, flip the script on her, actually fired my number one villain that day. But once I cleared that negative energy out so I could be at a little bit of

a little bit of a higher vibe, I started attracting positive people to me. And then the more that you started holding on to those ideas of other things you want, you start seeing them materialize. I have lived this firsthand and you are so right. You're never going to attract what it is that you're trying to manifest if you've got that low vibe energy. How do you change low vibe energy? Just being mindful of my thoughts, right?

And if we could drop a couple nuggets for the audience, like guys, like thoughts can be the worst, right? they can take you down in an instant, but here's the beauty of it. Thoughts are not facts. They're just random. So thoughts are random thinking is not. So anytime that you're feeling low vibe or low frequency or not a good vibrational match and so forth, it's just that your thoughts are disempowered at the moment.

So anytime like you're having an off day or whatever the case it would be, it's just feedback to let you know that your thoughts are out of whack and disempowering. And you can literally be mindful, acknowledge that, and then go in, and replace them with more productive, constructive, strategic thoughts. That will now create new beliefs. I am worthy. I do deserve the life I desire and so forth. I can do this instead of the limitation, so forth.

Then that obviously leads to better actions, better habits and so forth and ultimately better results. So it all starts with the thoughts. I know that's cliche. People always say like thoughts of things. But once you really become mindful of it and aware, which really change everything for You can be strategic which thoughts you allow to take up real estate inside your mind. That changes everything.

Oh, it's so true. It sounds to me like what you're describing is a lot about discipline. And one of the things that I see with you, Craig, in your routines and your life is you're so disciplined with your physical commitments and working out and eating healthy. Do you see a lot of parallels there from just your mindset and business and life and in the physical element? Yeah, I do. It's a great question.

I'm very disciplined. I learned that when I got to walk. street, the power of discipline, so forth. And for me personally, like, I don't know about you, I'd love to know. Like, if I have an unexpected, like, hole in my schedule or, like, a day that's not super booked, which is rare these days, but I, like, feel a little weird. I like to be busy, like have things going on. Like, today was a crazy day so far. A million different things going on, and they're all different, which makes it so fun and exciting. But those are the days when I'm most productive, I'm most disciplined, I'm structured, I'm on a schedule. So for me personally,

And I guess everybody's different. I know there's free spirits out there that don't work well like that. But for me, structure and discipline is a massive key component to success in all facets of my life. So when I'm here you describe that, it's so funny to me. I'm at this different phase of my life right now where I like when I have, I'm like, it's summer. I want to be able to like relax a little bit. I don't always, my whole life has been like, go, go, go, go, go back to back.

There's never enough time to get everything done because I have so much ambition inside of me. but it's funny that just for whatever reason right now, as we talked about, I'm in the process of selling my condo and moving and like starting this new adventure. And I love the idea of like sitting down and just thinking about, okay, where do I want to live and like what do I want to do? And when I get those windows of free time, I'm excited. I had some of cancel on me today for a meeting. And I was, oh my, I can sit down and like forecast what this could potentially look like and I can try to figure out the deeds. And I just felt so like having the free time was a welcome feeling to me. which has not been the case for most of my life. So my point is that, you know, both can work

and they can work at different times for you, too. Yeah, there's different seasons, right? It seems like you're in the season right now of BBB as opposed to do, do, do, do. And that's good, straight up. Like, there's no right or wrong. I think you have to have a healthy balance. I put balance of quotations because what does it really mean?

It's different to everybody. But ultimately, it's not always hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle. Like you want to allow, allow, right? Like allow the alignment and the abundance to become a match for all that stuff. stuff. So kudos to you and I totally get it. Oh my gosh. Allow or receive is the other word that those are new for me. Allow and receiving, you know, being not only this idea of like I want to go out and grab everything and go for it, but instead allowing things to come from me and

be willing and grateful receiving it. That was a completely new and different concept. Guys, please. I mean, my mantra is when I wake up in the morning is, you know, I'm grateful for universe and God for all the abundance that I'm receiving and I'm so grateful for these blessings. you're giving me today, right? Just this idea of shifting from, I don't have to chase everything down. Actually, these right things are showing up for me and I'm here to embrace them and receive them. So thank you for saying that allow. One of the things that you're really incredible at, Craig, is creating community. And that's where I see a lot of success, not only in your business, but in your podcast. And I see a lot of people missing that piece. How are you able to create such a massive community?

And how do you further it and keep it growing? So I went the extra mile right from the beginning when I was going to do CLS, I wanted it to be known that I appreciate every single like, every single comment. Anybody that actually cares about what I have to say because I realize there's such saturation. There's a lot of options out there. And I literally would say up to one, two in the morning, responding back to everybody that commented on Instagram or LinkedIn on Facebook. Obviously now there's just not enough hours in the day to do that. But to the best of my ability, I will respond to everybody. I want them to feel a personal connection.

And I think that really became contagious. The community is grown rapidly. You've spoken in some of our masterminds and the monthly membership and so forth. And they really appreciate that. When you go the extra mile, they feel that. And for me, that was how I was to be able to separate myself from everybody else out there. And everybody always says the community is really hardcore. They're loyal.

They're engaging. It's like something they've never seen. And I want to give them all the credit in the world. But ultimately for anyone out there that's looking to build a community, I would say go the extra mile. Like, show them that you care. It means everything. I have a coaching client that I've been working with for the past year. He has a pretty large company and they're doing their summer retreat, right?

Back to corporate America. And for me, everything I'm talking about, we have our strategy calls about the meeting is how do you want these people to feel when they're there? What do you want them walking away saying, let's dive into that. And like, how do we break down these barriers and get people talking? me, we got into, we were brainstorming today, like on the first night when everyone arrives, make sure we're doing a sign seating because I don't want people sitting by the people that they know. I want them sitting next to someone they would never expose themselves to. I'm like, and then I want to open with something really creative that's going to get them talking. And my client

came up with the idea, two truths and one lie, right? And when you play that game with people that you typically just work with and are, you know, getting by with. But suddenly you're making it fun and interesting and people start laughing and letting their hair down a little bit. You start creating a real community, which I see missing from so many places in corporate America. And I love that you're on page with that same thing because I have been a part of some of your events. And, you know, the people are so passionate. They're so all in, and they're so supportive of one another. And to me, no matter where you work or what you do, that's the kind of people that you want to get with, right?

100%. And like on the flip side, like if you don't have that culture or community, like there's only so far you can go, right? Because there has to be an audience for whatever it is that you're offering, whether it's service or product, whatever the case it be. You want to build trust with them. And by going back and doing the right thing, it comes back to you and you've seen it firsthand. And the support that they show each other, it's just so special. So I appreciate you acknowledging that.

Every time I get to do anything like your through, it's so much fun. Like you said, it's never work. It's something that when you walk away, you're supposed to be showing up and giving something, but you walk away feeling better than when you, you know, showed up to event. That's when you know you're with your people. And for everyone listening, if you haven't found those people yet, they are here. You can check out Craig's mastermind group, which I highly suggest. And I will also put in the show notes.

Craig, I want to talk a little bit about something you brought up before we got on air today that I think is going to help people a lot. when you start something new, when you left Wall Street and launched your speaking career, you were talking about how at first there were questions of like, okay, wait a minute, I'm, you know, quote unquote, new at this, right? You know how to speak, but like now you're charging people for it and you start wondering how did that develop for you and when did you really get your footing in that whole new arena? Yeah, I'm so happy that you brought this up because ultimately, no matter how much self-believe or how higher self-worth is, it's impossible to have a hundred percent confidence when you're

doing something for the first time, right? Like, I remember when I ran my first marathon a few years ago, like, I was confident in my training, but how do I really know? You don't run 26.2 miles in training. So ultimately, you have to get some experience in the belt. And how do you do that? You just do the damn thing, right? Like, you get messy. You get bold. You step into it. You get your hands at it as we test do a couple times. Sometimes you have to be willing to do mediocre things, right? Look, we crave certainty, but we live for uncertainty. So you don't worry about the outcome so much. And as I always like to say, marry the process, divorce the outcome. Step into it. You're never going to be a 10 out of 10 your first time, no matter what it is, because there's always room for improvement, but you just get into it. And you learn and you grow and

you get better. You become seasoned and you get experience. And what Heather was attesting to is the first couple speaking engagements, yes, I did good, all things considered. But there was, of course, for improvement. I don't have an ego. I acknowledge that. Where I'm at now is not going to be as good as I am, hopefully in the next couple of years. But where I'm at right now is significantly better. And the reason being is because I have that experience, being on stage, right? Like the body language, like walking, making eye contact, the tonality, the core message, the stories, the lesson. Now you're getting me so jazz because I'm thinking about how far I've come in a short amount of time, but because I'm putting in the work, for the audience, what's the message here, no matter what it is that you want

to do. Like, you don't have to be great to. start, but you do have to start to be great. Just get in the damn thing. One of the things that you explained to me is that once you saw the audience response, right, in real time, it gave you that extra boost. Oh, wait a minute. Now that's real. I can, okay, wait a minute, that landed really well. Everyone, if you're not continually learning, continually growing and getting better, you're missing the point. You know, every time you get up, whether it's for a presentation at work or like Craig's talking about, you know, a keynote on a large stage somewhere, that's an opportunity to impact people. It's an opportunity to make a difference.

And yes, there are moments where you're saying, I don't have any business being on this massive stage, but I'm going to step out and I'm going to give it everything I have. And when you see that response from someone, it makes all the difference in the world. And then when you get off that stage, like you said, you're like, wait a minute, oh, I did warrant being out there. That gives me the momentum to propel me to that next bigger stage. Next time you saw it happen, you saw it materialize, and now you know that you're meant for more. Hell yes. And what's the line that you always say? Like after the first book, you had a couple errors in it, but you always say that line.

What is it? Done is better than perfect. It's so true, though. I will always be the woman on her deathbed that says, I am so proud of that imperfect book I have out there with three mistakes that changed the lives of I don't even know how many people versus being the person on a death bed that says, wow, I had an incredible book inside me, but I never found the perfect way to write it. Right. Don't die with your book inside you. Proverbial book, but like whatever it is, you know, your idea, your concept. Like don't ever let that go. That's why we're here, right? Like God has put you here for a reason. Explore that reason, begin to move into it in whatever small step you need to take. Because like for you, Craig, your life has completely changed because you made that leap from Wall Street to following your passion and purpose. It changed everywhere. Like my relationship, right? My relationships with the new people. that I'm surrounded myself with. I'm just a whole new version of me. And for the first time my life,

like, I'm in complete and utter alignment. And it feels so good. One thing that you just mentioned was faith. And I heard your podcast, maybe a week or two ago, I forgot when, but you kind of sprinkled in and dove into a little bit.

I think you called like a church session or something like that. And I wanted to acknowledge you. I'm excited for you to explore that some more. Oh, thank you, Greg. You're so funny. You know what I'm talking about, right? I know exactly what you're talking about.

Yeah, I was at, church and I left church and I decided to do my podcast right walking out of church. Literally, like I got home from church and I said, I want to speak to this, right? Like, it's speaking to me. And I typically don't get into spirituality on my show. And it's a funny thing, right? And I'm super interested to hear what you think about it. But like people will join you and be a part of your community for certain reasons, right? So for some people, they want to follow me because I got fired and I talk about how hard it was, whatever. Then there's some people that follow you for different reasons. So anytime you start evolving and saying, wow, I feel called to speak about something different,

there is this bit of trepidation, right? Because a lot of people follow me for business tips and for leadership tips, sales, whatever. And you're like, wait a bit, do I really want to lean in and include this? But I had this conversation with myself, which is, you know, the more real that I can show up, the more I'll attract the right people to me, the more I'll attract the right opportunities. If I keep that blinded, I'm not really showing up as who I really am, it's got to be based in fear somehow. So if you go back to, we can either be fearful or be full of love and giving. I've got to move to, you know, I choose love, I choose giving and I'm giving of myself. And those right people will show up. But have you ever had a moment like that where you're like, ooh, I don't know, do I want to like take this and open this door?

I do all the time. And the reason being is because I'm constantly growing and evolving as a human being, right? Like also something that like has become very important to me is faith and stuff like that. And I don't like put it on people like other people because I'm still figuring it out if I'm being honest. I wouldn't even know. But I like to sprinkle it in a little bit and just say what's on my heart. And I'm not the same person. I'm going to be two months from now.

And if I don't stay authentic, real and raw and talk about like what's going on in my life at the time, then it's like I'm still trying to cater to that audience when I first launched CLS. And that feels inauthentic of being honest. Oh, it's so true. Guys, this is so good. And I agree. So we're so alive.

all the time. It's so ridiculous. I don't talk to you for two months and then we pick up right back at the same place. We're on page. What Craig was described is right. If you're not evolving, you've got to show up as that real you. You've got to take these small leap of days or large leaps, you know, whatever that looks like for you into figuring out, you know, what is that next step, that next version of yourself? And I'll tell you, I had Colin O'Grady on my show a couple weeks ago when he told me that he went to speak to all these billionaires, B, billionaires, not millionaires, right? And it was this big group of male billionaires. So in some ways, the most successful people out there, quote unquote, from a financial standpoint, right? And he said,

at the end, one of the men walked up to him and just said, son, you followed your heart, you followed your pack, like, how did you get basically in awe? These people have more money than anyone are in awe of this young man because he's out there preaching what you are. He's out there preaching. No, forget all the other stuff. Pursue this. He calls it pursuing your Everest. Like your personal big goal, your personal challenge, right? Pursue that. That's what you're really here for. And it was such a disconnect of these people who had only ever pursued money. And he said it was so clear to him in that room with these people that he had on a pedestal when he walked in. They had him on the pedestal because they were saying, wow, I wish I had done it that way.

So don't let this life slip by you. Be like Craig. Jump from the Wall Street job. Start giving back, start creating that community, start bringing your value and your passion forward. Craig, how can people catch up with you and become subscribers of the podcast, become part of your mastermind? Any way you listen to podcast, the CLS experience, we have the monthly CLS membership. We meet every Wednesday. Big guest speakers networking. We're about 500 people in there now. Just go to the website, cultivate lasting symphony.com.

And come say high on Instagram at Craig Siegel underscore CLS. I love to engage. As you know, I love to interact. Don't be shy. Oh, Craig, I am so grateful for your time today. I'm so grateful for you dropping all the wisdom, and I'm so grateful for our friendship. Thank you for being here. This was so much fun.

Thank you so much for everything that you do. A lot of the nuggets that you say really resonate with me, and they make me a better person. So love and respect you, and can't wait for more. Right back at you. All right, guys, until next week, keep creating your confidence. I want to come on this journey with me.