Written by: Craig Stanland, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You've been at your job for 15 to 20 years.
You've made all the right moves and moved up the corporate ladder.
You know what you're doing, and you do it well; your peers respect you.
Your boss likes your work, but you can't help but feel he's keeping tabs on you to ensure you don't pass him.
Your business success has opened up a world of material success.
You've got the nice house, nice cars, membership to the club, two vacations a year, and reservations at the top restaurants in your town.
You've checked all the boxes for the version of yourself that started this journey 15 to 20 years ago, and that's pretty awesome.
Except for one significant and glaring omission:
The undeniable and often overwhelming feeling of,
"Is this all there is?"
You're confused; you checked all the boxes, but where's the happiness and joy that's supposed to come with it?
It's like there's a success-sized hole in the middle of your life, and you don't know how to fill it.
So you do what you think you have to do to fill it.
You throw more stuff into the hole:
Nicer cars, nicer clothes, bottles of wine, and hotels you stay in slowly get more and more expensive.
You find yourself binging more Netflix, and maybe other addictions enter the fray, alcohol, drugs, and porn.
Something, anything, just to FEEL something.
It's quick high after quick high, and you're learning how quickly quick highs fade, and you're back on the hunt.
You're sprinting on the golden treadmill and getting tired of working so damn hard and not getting anywhere.
It doesn't have to be this way.
You can slow the treadmill down, you can catch your breath, and you can do what you know deep down you want to do but are terrified to do:
Step off the golden treadmill and fill that success-sized hole in the center of your life.
Because deep down, you know something else, what you've been chasing can never be caught by running on the golden treadmill.
You understand that what's missing isn't more things; what's missing is a sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.
At this point in your life, this is what matters to you, and this is what you crave.
But the mere idea of stepping off the golden treadmill is terrifying; your mind concocts a myriad of reasons why you shouldn't step off.
And here are 5 critical facts you need to know that will slow the treadmill down:
You haven't missed your chance.
You're not too old to start something new.
It's not selfish to step off the golden treadmill.
Your job title is what you do. It's not who you are.
You don't have to burn everything to the ground to start something new.
Bonus: The fear you feel is nothing more than a beautifully crafted machination of your imagination designed to keep you stuck in your status quo and life on autopilot.
Slow your treadmill down so you can find what's missing.
If you're ready to get serious and invest in 1:1 support so you can reinvent your extraordinary life today, I'd love to speak with you.
Join me for your Free Reinvention Clarity Call.
Together we'll get clear on what an extraordinary life looks like for you so you can step off the golden treadmill and cultivate a life of joy, purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Craig!
Craig Stanland, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Craig Stanland is a Reinvention Architect & Mindset Coach, TEDx & Keynote Speaker, and Best-Selling Author.
In 2012, Craig Stanland made a choice that would cost him everything. After exploiting the warranty policy of one of the largest tech companies in the world for almost a year, the FBI finally knocked on his door.
He was arrested and sentenced to 2 years of Federal Prison, followed by 3 years of Supervised Release, and ordered to pay $834,307 in restitution. He lost his wife, his homes, his cars, his career, and even his identity. He wanted nothing more than to die.
A well-timed prison visit from his best friend of over thirty years turned his life around.
Craig rebuilt and reinvented his life from rock bottom to a life of meaning and fulfillment.
As a Reinvention Architect, Craig leverages his experiences and personal reinvention to work 1:1 with clients so they can re-architect their lives with freedom, passion, purpose, fulfillment, and meaning.
Craig's mission is to help people cultivate the courage to pursue their calling so they can live meaningful lives.
His book, "Blank Canvas, How I Reinvented My Life After Prison" is available on Amazon.
