Confidence Classic: Empowerment Is At Your Fingertips! With Craig Siegel, Keynote Speaker & Performance & Mindset Coach

0:00Thoughts 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 that you're having an off day or whatever the case may 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 aware, which really changed everything for me, you can be strategic which thoughts you allow to take up real estate inside your mind.

0:36That changes everything. I'm on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity, and set you up for a better tomorrow. I'm ready for my close-up. Tell me, have you been enjoying these new bonus confidence classics episodes we've been dropping on you every week? We've literally hundreds of episodes for you to listen to. So these bonuses are a great way to help you find the ones you may have already missed. I hope you love this one as much as I do.

1:09I'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 Dierdrich, Ed Milet, Bethany Hamilton, Suzanne and Summers, Alicia Silverstone, and NFL Hall of Famer, Brian Dawkins. When the pandemic hit, Craig 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.

1:52Craig'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've become really good friends, and every time we get together, we create magic. So let's get nuts. So one of the things I want everyone to know listening in right now, And it's so important.

2:27It's so basic, but so important. Craig and I have become friends like for a while now, you know, over, 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.

2:59And 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. Yeah, 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.

3:31And you always preach that stuff to 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 the box and add the TEDx. It's one more certification or credibility that you can add as a speaker and people like it, right? It's just something that they like to see. So we were brainstorming around landing your first TEDx.

4:03And 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 nervous of what if I'm told no? What if it goes poorly? How do you break through those fears and get yourself to level up and go for 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 in 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.

4:46So 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 may 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 there that 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 and make every second count.

5:19Thank 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 planting 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 the time. But maybe a year, two years later, months later, you get that person coming back around saying, oh, yeah, wait a minute. And 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.

5:56And 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 blooms from there. Would you agree with that? 100%. And for being on Wall Street for 10, 11 years, like spoiler alert, not every sale gets closed on the first ask, right?

6:36Sometimes 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, like it takes three to five years, but it's just that get first downs, get first downs, 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.

7:09I 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 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 big of an impact I make. And I was in a dark place.

7:43I 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, and I really grounded myself for the first time, maybe ever, and asked myself those deep, powerful questions, I realized I don't want this lockdown to end because I don't want to go back. It felt like hell. I was waking up, going to a J-O-B, even though lucrative in my own business, but for what? What's the point? And this ties back to that deep analogy that there's a eulogy exercise that I recently posted on social media. It goes back to the concept of death.

8:17And I really got deep with myself. And I was like, if this was it for me in a couple of weeks, what 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? Did I really contribute? Did I make an impact? Did 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.

8:51And 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 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.

9:25When so many people were vying 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, sadly, 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.

9:56And 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 axe and consuming positive content and learning how to revamp our mindset and learn 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.

10:28And 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 saturated, I challenge the audience listening today. It just means that there's more of a market for it. And if you're willing to really work hard and beat on your craft, there's a lot of opportunity.

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14:24You 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, in 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.

14:58Do 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 gladiator in two different arenas, there's different things to be successful in the online space, to be a keynote speaker than it is to be on Wall Street. But I think some principles always apply, right? It's like, 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.

15:36And I really believe that. But so many people who are listening right now, and I've been there, I've 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 I want. Those are like, they're looking at 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.

16:08It was the company. It was the industry. How were you able to break through that? Well, hold on a second. Let's unpack that for 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 just getting your hands dirty, right? Like reaching out to companies, seeing who needs a speaker. Okay, well, what do 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?

16:37It's not 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 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.

17:08And 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 still reminding me of a call I had earlier with one of my dearest girlfriends. I mean, literally love this girl. She's a ride or dive friend. She's going through a potential career transition right now. She's been in sales in a lapluster 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.

17:40She 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? 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 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 jobs. You know, just write down what it is that you love.

18:13Write 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 already 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. Right. Like, and also like, but where do I start?

18:41How do I gain clarity? Right. And you talk about writing stuff down. And here's something interesting that I challenge 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 direction and then you can get some momentum.

19:16So, 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 pleasures to, how to cultivate confidence on command and so forth.

19:49But 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, you don't manifest what you want. You manifest what you are, what you can sustain vibrationally. What are you a match for? And this is really good news, right? Because for the audience listening 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.

20:23Well, 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 have much more experience and so forth, 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.

21:01That'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 Dispenza'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.

21:35I 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 described 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, flipped the script on her, actually fired my number one villain that day.

22:07But once I cleared that negative energy out so I could be at a little bit of a higher vibe, I started attracting positive people to me. And then the more that you started holding onto those ideas of other things you wanted, 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 of nuggets for the audience, like guys, like thoughts can be the worst, right?

22:39They 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 disempowering at the moment. So anytime that you're having an off day, whatever the case may 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.