Identity Theft

Our identity is going to change well before people take notice. 

And that’s why we get strange looks and odd questions. 

One day we are one thing to someone and then randomly, almost like it’s out of the blue, we become something different. 

To them it happened overnight but we know better. There was a lot of work that went into the transformation. 

We battle the “old guard” daily and work to strip down our prior version to only the parts that serve us any longer. 

The fact that anyone noticed, good or bad, should be a compliment. 

We shed the old skin and have become our new version. 

If anyone should admire it, it should be ourselves.

Identity Theft2023-09-30T14:54:37-04:00

Stuck In The Mud

If our car was stuck in the mud how would we get out of that situation?

We wouldn’t keep spinning our wheels and cursing the world for putting us in this situation.

We’d assess where we’re at.
We’d look for resources.
We’d call for help.

We’d quickly create a plan of action.

It’s the same thing when we’re stuck in life.

What is our current situation?
What resources are at our disposal?
Who around us can be that “phone-a-friend”?

We can come up with a plan of action to get us out of any situation. We can change course quickly. We have opportunities all around us.

We have to make the decision to get up and get moving. It’s the only way we can stop spinning our wheels.

Stuck In The Mud2023-05-27T11:55:00-04:00

The Golf Guy

If you asked me 15-years-ago I was going to be one of the best PGA Teaching Professionals in the country.

Golf was what I knew and it was the only thing I was highly excited about.

But we evolve and change our colors.

We don’t have to stay how we were.

One of the hardest points of my life was leaving the golf industry.

I was the “golf guy” in town and around my friend groups.

When you thought of Brian you thought about golf.

They were synonymous.

I was tied to that identity.

It was difficult to leave.

But I had to. I was being pulled in another direction.

When we become open to new ideas and expose ourselves to unique opportunities, although scarier and unknown, we can create a level of happiness we never could’ve imagined for ourselves.

It doesn’t mean you have to leave your career, friends, or spouse.

It doesn’t mean you have to do anything.

But if you are questioning where you are at at this moment in your life it’s not a bad thing to expose yourself to the question of “what if?”

What if I was willing to step into the unknown because it felt right?

What if I made better choices for what I wanted?

What if I learned new skills that interested me?

The next phase of our life may not look like our current one but we must make choices about what we want and choose a path leading in that direction.

Otherwise, we may waste years living an identity that doesn’t suit us any longer.

The Golf Guy2023-05-12T19:24:56-04:00

Lifetime Engagement

At 15, I was thinking in days.
At 25, I was thinking in years.
By 35, I was thinking in decades.

I’ve never felt more present each day because of that mindset change.

Discover a purpose and you can live it for the rest of your life.

Lifetime Engagement2023-04-22T13:56:34-04:00
  • Craig Stanland Profile Headshot

Craig Stanland

CRAIG STANLAND

EPISODE 339: Reinvention Architect, TEDx & Keynote Speaker, and Author

Craig Stanland Profile Headshot

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Episode 339 features Craig Stanland, a Reinvention Architect, TEDx & Keynote Speaker, and Author of “Blank Canvas, How I Reinvented My Life After Prison.”

Find Craig Online:

Website: www.craigstanland.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigstanland/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craig_stanland

Medium: https://medium.com/@craig-stanland

About Craig:

Craig Stanland is a Reinvention Architect, TEDx & Keynote Speaker, and Author of “Blank Canvas, How I Reinvented My Life After Prison.” He specializes in working with clients who’ve chased success, money, and status in their 1st half, only to find a success-sized hole in their lives. He helps them tap into their full potential and connect with their calling to create their extraordinary 2nd half with purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Seth Godin, Author, Blogger, and Founder of Akimbo

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Craig Stanland2023-04-03T20:06:21-04:00

Magic Show

Don’t fall for the misdirection, the rabbit being pulled out of the hat, the flash mob.

We are often blinded by the “vocal minority” and the “dog and pony show” that is going on.

It dominates the narrative but we can’t fall for the trap of getting sucked into it.

Be skeptical. Be curious. Ask questions.

Are we being fed the truth or is it only partially true?

Seek out the truth yourself.
Don’t get lazy.
Go deeper.

It takes courage to question the things that are ingrained in us but it is one of the important parts of growth.

If we can question our own beliefs then what else can we question? What else is appearing to be the truth that may end up not being correct at all?

Are we going to believe the rabbit magically appeared in the hat or is there another side of the story that we would be willing to consider?

Magic Show2023-03-19T15:18:03-04:00

Free Your Mind

What have you changed your mind on in the past year?

Growth isn’t about doubling down on our beliefs and digging our heels in but recognizing that there is a big world out there filled with new ideas and different perspectives.

It’s not that we have to believe it all but we ought to be willing to listen.

Acceptance and gratitude become the guideposts to follow.

An open mind is our catalyst to change.

Free Your Mind2023-01-26T14:02:11-04:00

40 Is The New 30

When I was 30 years old I was:

  • Entitled
  • Complacent
  • Unorganized
  • Undisciplined
  • Closed-minded
  • In loads of debt

I’ll be 40 this month, and none of the above is true anymore.

Change doesn’t happen instantly but it’s making the commitment to change that is the catalyst to produce profound results.

If you don’t like where you are I have great news.

You are in control.

Are you willing to commit to changing it?

40 Is The New 302023-03-01T09:35:47-04:00

One Step Away

Some people slow down running toward 1st base.

Others run full speed straight through the bag.

Knowing who we are can inform us where we are starting from. It doesn’t mean we can’t change if we want to.

We’re only one decision away from changing the entire trajectory of our future.

Not a hundred decisions.

Just one.

The next one is all that matters.

One Step Away2023-01-19T20:53:59-04:00

New Year New Me

This New Year let’s not say “New Year, New Me” because change doesn’t happen like that.

Change happens by moving intentionally and incrementally forward.

It’s building one good habit after another.

It’s becoming self-aware and accepting of ourselves.

It’s giving ourselves space and expanding our worldview.

What might be better to say is, “I’m going to work continually to be disciplined this year in the areas that I’ve uncovered aren’t serving me anymore and lean into better decisions, perspectives and relationships. I won’t always get it right but I’m going to learn and keep improving.”

It’s important to start and let the changes come progressively over time.

This way, when the next year rolls around you can confidently say “New Year, New Me”

New Year New Me2022-12-28T17:32:58-04:00

Homeward Bound

Just because we’re different doesn’t mean we’re wrong.

Chances are as we are trying to live our best life we’ll be exploring new ideas and it may waiver from what we’re known for.

Keep going.

We are always going to be misunderstood early on as we adapt and change. We’ll be questioned and judged. We’ll be ridiculed.

But we’ll attract the right kind of energy from the right kind of people.

Our being different will be seen as a special gift.

We’ll be welcomed and supported.

We’ll find our home again.

Homeward Bound2022-09-10T17:30:13-04:00

Get Out Of Jail Free

When we’re young we are told that if we make bad choices we could end up in jail.

What is never explained, however, is that while we may not end up in a physical jail for committing a crime, our decisions could lead us into a “mental jail” that might be just as bad, in some cases.

We feel stuck
We feel stressed
We wonder how we got here
We are in a situation that seems impossible to get out of.

But there is a way.

It’s difficult and it might take time but it starts with a choice.

A choice to change.

Just like the choices we’ve made that didn’t work out and got us into this situation, we can make new choices to lead us out of it.

We can recalibrate the compass and move in a different direction.

The choice to change becomes our “get out of jail free” card.

Having the courage to change ultimately determines whether we use it or not.

Get Out Of Jail Free2022-07-13T20:52:25-04:00

Misdirection

We actually don’t need to make monumental big changes. That’s a common misconception.

It’s the small changes that matter. The ones that are incremental and barely even scratch the surface. The ones that almost no one would notice if they looked at us or our work.

The ironic thing is that’s how big moments happen. From very small, microscopic adjustments over a long period of time.

That’s the only way true change can happen. It has to become part of us. We have to rewrite our DNA, in a way.

That takes time. It’s okay that it takes time. We just have to be prepared for the long haul. We may not be able to see the impact early on but we have to trust it’ll have a monumental effect on our life.

We have to believe it to be true and keep progressing one small step at a time.

Misdirection2022-02-13T16:37:30-04:00

Software Update

We want people to accept the updated version of ourselves when we put ourselves through the work to change.

This is the new me, we shout! Embrace me. I’m different than before. Give me recognition!

But we have to remember that others are going through their own transformations. They may not be talking about it as much or sharing their journey for all to see. But we might notice some changes.

We must embrace them, as well. We must be happy that they’ve gone through the work and energy and time to make some bug fixes to their code and have created a new and improved version.

If we only care about our own upgrades and can’t applaud those around us and be proud of their achievements then we might need a few more tweaks ourselves.

Selflessly giving praise to others without needing it in return can be a wonderful change that leads us toward happiness.

That selflessness and empathy toward others is the improvement we all need to make.

It’s something that should come standard with our base model.

It’s something we should continue to refine with each new version.

Software Update2022-02-08T19:42:09-04:00

Perfect Game

Perfect doesn’t exist.

We’ll make mistakes. We’ll fail. We’ll embarrass ourselves.

Something is bound to go wrong.

But shouldn’t we expect that?

Nothing is ever perfect, and if something appeared to be, wouldn’t it feel manufactured and fake?

Embrace the stumbling and staggering and blindly wandering into the dark woods ahead.

Embrace not knowing the exact way.

You’re not alone, nobody else does either.

Perfect Game2022-06-28T19:41:53-04:00

The Butterfly Effect

Why does a Monarch butterfly do the things it does?

Here is a caterpillar, crawling around the earth and living just fine. Then, for reasons we can’t possibly fully know, it decides to create a cocoon and after a short isolation period, boom, it now has wings.

It now can fly somehow. Not only does it fly but it flies over 3000 miles to migrate in Central Mexico each year.

How does it know to do that?

What magic just happened in that cocoon?

I can’t be for certain but it’s a great metaphor for life.

We are always changing. We are always evolving our thinking. We are always moving forward.

Each day. Each minute. Each second.

Our thoughts and actions determine the person we will be tomorrow, and the next week, and the next year.

Unlike the caterpillar, we can choose our path forward.

We can create the life that we want even if today, reading this, we might not feel we can.

Those can be hard things; change, but we are capable.

We have to have the courage to take the risk of changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

We have to know we are capable of the hard work to create action and progress.

And then, we have to believe we can fly.

The Butterfly Effect2021-12-27T15:17:38-04:00

Can We Really Change?

Can we really change?

It starts with our belief system. We either believe we have the ability to change our surroundings, circumstances, relationships, etc or we don’t. 

Full stop. 

Almost everything we do hinges on the above belief. 

If we don’t believe we do then we don’t prioritize changing. We’ll always be too “busy.” We’ll make excuses. 

If we do believe we are in control of changing then it opens us up to ask ourselves questions like…

  • Why will this time be different?
  • What can I really do if I put the effort in? 
  • Where can I stretch myself like I never have before?

Remember, to discover happiness we must first discover ourselves. 

Asking those simple questions might be the starting point. 

The path forward forms from there. 

Can We Really Change?2022-06-01T15:47:00-04:00

Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes

We all want to be doing something we are not currently doing. From big to small, it doesn’t matter what it is, all of us have things sitting on the “to do” list that for whatever reason are not taking priority. 

The first question is why? Should it really be this far down the list and neglected or does it belong there because it’s not an important endeavor? 

If it belongs down the list then stop worrying about it. Stop saying we “should” be doing it. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a priority and shouldn’t be bothered with. It’s one less thing we need to be worrying about and causing us additional stress. 

But, If we are honest with ourselves and decide it should be given a higher ranking then we have to figure out how we manage to add it to our calendar. Whatever it might be. If it’s important to us to some degree we have to figure out how we start. 

Here’s an idea. There’s a good chance whatever we are trying to accomplish won’t take a full day, week, or even months but it will take some amount of time greater than what we might have allotted tomorrow. 

But that shouldn’t mean we don’t start. 

Start the action of completing it tomorrow. For 10 minutes even. Set a timer for 10 minutes and think and act on that thing. Commit more if you’d like but at worst just 10 minutes. If it’s a larger-scale project it might just be the first ideation phase and for a shorter home project, it might just be searching online and actually buying the tools we need. 

Every situation will be different. But we all need to start one way or another.

Forget about the next day and the one after that. Focus on tomorrow. Let’s check that box off first before we get ahead of ourselves. 

From there, we can have small wins and mount a path forward. 

For now, start with tomorrow. We’ll figure out the rest when we get there.

Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes2022-08-01T19:56:08-04:00
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