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.
I worked in the corporate world for about 14 years before being arrested by the FBI and going to prison.
I was a "Senior Enterprise Account Manager" for a large technology firm.
In the simplest terms, I sold all the stuff that makes the internet work to the most significant financial firms in the world.
The job taught me to hate Sundays.
Mostly because I was dreading Monday.
Monday mornings were our weekly sales calls.
Was I on track to hit my monthly target? Could I bring in extra business to make up for others' shortfalls?
I hated these calls.
Then my email was a separate issue.
What was waiting for me in my inbox?
What was the laundry list of customer demands, management requests, and other assorted nonsense?
I'd check my phone all weekend to alleviate the stress, but in doing so, I was chipping away at my weekends.
The very weekends I spent all week hoping and praying for.
PS: I know I'm not the only one, and I know this is pretty much the status quo for anyone in the corporate world.
But, this is perhaps the worst part of the equation:
I didn't like my job.
When anyone would ask me, "Do you like what you do?" my answer was always the same:
"No, I don't like my job. But, I like what my job affords me."
There was no fulfillment, no joy, no purpose or meaning.
Only money, and a tremendous amount at that.
I thought that would be enough. I thought the money and the status would be enough.
Hell, it should be enough.
That's what we're told, get a good job, work your ass off, get the promotions, land the big deals, drive the BMWs, own the gorgeous house, eat at the best restaurants, and wear the nicest watches and clothes.
That's what it's all about. That should be enough.
If it's not enough, there's something wrong with you.
Who am I to ask for more? What are passion and purpose anyway? Why do I need meaning? I'm making bank.
It was an endless cycle of wanting more, feeling guilty for wanting more, and then buying more so that I could "fix" everything.
I was desperate to reinvent my life and do something that mattered. . . but I had too much invested to throw it all away and start all over from scratch.
I was stuck on the golden treadmill but too blind to see that I was.
In retrospect, neon signs were flashing at me every day that it was time to start over.
Here are the Top 5 Key Signs I experienced that it was time to hit the reset button and reinvent my life:
Struggling to get out of bed
Seeking escapes: For me, it was alcohol and materialism
Feeling as though I had no command over my time or my life
Financially successful and comfortable, but woefully unfulfilled
Living on autopilot, the same thing day after day, week after week
Do any of these strike a chord with you?
Do you feel stuck in your career, relationships, and life?
Are you doing the same things, day in and day out, but expecting different results?
If so, I invite you to take a step back and examine your life.
Life on autopilot won't, will never, and can't ever create something new in your life.
That's like expecting orange juice from apples.
Your life won't change unless you change, and these 2 simple yet wickedly profound questions will facilitate that change:
Am I living a life that's true to myself?
What will I regret NOT doing?
Answering these 2 questions is the first step to reinventing your life into the extraordinary life you dream of.
If you're ready to get serious and invest in 1:1 support so you can re-architect the life of your dreams, 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 break free from autopilot 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.
