Life’s too short not to try. Find the thing you absolutely love and make it your life. Because you see, people spend way too much time being miserable, spending time doing things they don’t love, such as jobs and relationships that they’re not passionate about. You might as well fail at something you do love. Or better yet, maybe you’ll fly.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Craig Siegel.
In order to understand Craig you have to understand his vision. You see this isn’t about Craig. It’s not about the money, or to be noticed. Craig learned many years ago that he has a strong ability to communicate and help people want to become better. So he decided it was his responsibility to help elevate everyone he possibly could. And the goal has always been to be able to do this on a much grander scale so that he can reach a much larger audience, and make a gigantic impact. Craig believes that while people are not broken, their frames often are. He alters their map of the world and revamps their mindset, thus leading to unbelievable breakthroughs in all facets of life.
Let’s work backwards for a second. How did CLS get to where it is today?
Cultivate Lasting Symphony is a play on Craig’s initials, Craig Landon Siegel. Craig is a born and raised New Yorker. He grew up with an older brother and two loving parents. Natural talent was not something Craig had a whole lot of, but he had heart and an abundance of grit, and this fueled his ambition.
He started his career in Business on Wall Street. He used his ability to develop numerous skillsets and became a sponge. He was able to cultivate these attributes and he rebuilt himself and developed his confidence.
Craig started making giant strides in life. He built businesses of his own from the ground up with no prior experience into massive juggernauts that became extremely successful but he remained unfulfilled and craved something deeper.
His successes haven’t been without failures which is what makes him extremely relatable. He too has fallen and faced many obstacles. He has also rose and bounced back multiple times because you see, Craig was never afraid of failure. In fact, he embraced it. It’s a part of life.
Craig wanted to challenge himself in something that was very uncomfortable and unfamiliar to him. This would lead him to a new journey where he went from not being able to run a mile without stopping to running 4 marathons the very next year. This was his Moonshot which ended up leading to the name of his program: The Moonshot Masterpiece Experience.
Throughout Craig’s journey, including the highest of highs to the setbacks and struggles, he developed what the world now knows to be Cultivate Lasting Symphony (CLS). CLS is about cultivating that edge that gets you on absolute fire. Being the creator in your life. Transforming from reactive to proactive. Dwelling in a bubble of serenity even though the world around us might exist in rubble and ruin.
People began to ask Craig if he did coaching and so he started helping clients manufacture BIG breakthroughs. He’s worked with NLP practitioners, experts and coaches in all different areas. And he created a system in which all of these skills apply. He believes it is the most unique and effective performance enhancing system on the planet.
Launching CLS on digital and social media platforms has been Craig’s greatest contribution to the world. With a tweak in your mindset and building upon your heart, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.
It is his vision and mission to help everyone reach and then obliterate their greatest potential.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Absolutely. Throughout my journey, the one thing that stood out to me that truly resonated with me, was how I felt when I would help someone develop self belief and inner confidence. I believe people are capable of extraordinary things but their mindset and their frame is often broken and distorted. Seeing people manufacture big breakthroughs in their life makes my heart smile, as cheesy as it may sound. Witnessing people thrive and overcome struggles is my greatest passion in life. That’s what it’s all about for me.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
Nothing would make me happier. When I decided to leave my thriving business and go all in on my passion project to help the world Cultivate Lasting Symphony, my biggest struggle was as follows: I lacked total confidence in believing that the world would respond to my message. I knew I had a lot to offer but I wasn’t sure that people would buy in to “ME”. Then I realized that what is proprietary about Craig Landon Siegel is in fact, Craig Landon Siegel. And I am my own testimonial. People have always gravitated toward me and asked me for help in different areas. I have started and successfully launched multiple big businesses. I did transform from someone who couldn’t run a mile without stopping to conquering 4 marathons the very next year. I do have a story to tell and most importantly, I have a way to communicate that helps people feel inspired. My delivery lights a fire inside people that makes them want more for themselves, and that’s what fuels my fire.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
I learned the concept of drive when I was a young boy watching my mother and father come home late at night as they both worked long hours to provide. I embrace the struggle because I understand that obstacles are a BIG part of life. Obstacles don’t mean to retreat. They are not a red light. On the contrary, they are a green light. Just means you have to get creative. Obstacles provide options. For example, we can go around it, we can go over it, or we can run right through it, but by no means does this mean to give up and surrender.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The old Craig would leave this particular story out. However, I am so comfortable in my own skin and confident in where I am in life that I am going to come right out and tell you. One of the earlier videos of content that I filmed which is more like an inspirational speech, provided great dialogue and unbelievable energy. Right before posting it to the world on social media, being the perfectionist that I am, I decided to run it back for a final review. It was on this rewatch that out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a furry and goofy shark slipper in the background. Here I am trying to be all serious and motivate someone to do something extraordinary, and there is a pair of silly cartoon slippers behind me. I started laughing hysterically to myself and made sure I was well aware of my surroundings for my future content. As you get to know me, you’ll see that this won’t be the last time you hear me mention anything shark related. I may or may not have a thing for sharks ;).
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self regarding life lessons, things you would like him to know what would they be and why?
What an unbelievable question. Life’s too short not to try. Find the thing you absolutely love and make it your life. Because you see, people spend way too much time being miserable, spending time doing things they don’t love, such as jobs and relationships that they’re not passionate about. You might as well fail at something you do love. Or better yet, maybe you’ll fly.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
This is where I would love to insert testimonials but this is the way I see it. I understand that with personal development, it is not a one size fits all. Everybody in life is going through something a little different which means that I have the responsibility to customize each and every person’s Moonshot Masterpiece Experience to fit their particular situation. For example, some clients may want to ignite that spark inside themselves to put themselves out there to the Universe for a relationship. Other clients are super successful in business but they need structure in their fitness and nutrition regimen. Another client might want to turn their passion project into a full time thriving business. My point is, myself and my team make it our mission to adapt and help each person individually for their specific needs. There’s a reason I use the word Experience instead of program because that’s exactly what it is, an Experience of a lifetime.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Forget about the “formula”. See what I’ve noticed in the online business space is that thought leaders and coaches and mentors alike feel compelled to stick to this formulaic strategy. It sometimes leads to inauthenticity and a facade. What I learned early on is that what makes me so unique is that I am unapologetically me. I am unorthodox, I am weird, but most importantly I am captivating and I know how to inspire. Being authentic was the most effective strategy I ever cultivated.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve had an abundance of mentors and inspirational figures in my life, but if I had to choose one, it is very obvious to me who that would be, my father, Donald Jay Siegel. He is currently in the fight of all fights battling Cancer. My dad has every reason to be sad, negged out and pessimistic. However, every time I speak to him and see him, you would never know that he was sick. He is always positive and upbeat. His unbelievable energy is contagious. To see how strong he is for his family and himself, I have taken it upon myself to be a beacon of hope for my family. It’s why I continue to look for challenges and moonshots to conquer to help inspire my Dad because my thought process is, if he can stay so grounded, positive, and amazing, how can I not? And so the foundation of Cultivate Lasting Symphony was built off inspiring my father to cultivate hope and maintain that unshakeable confidence.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
The sole purpose of Cultivate Lasting Symphony is to inspire the world to become better versions of ourselves and that leads to making the world a better place. This movement has grown faster than any others of its kind in history due to the fact that the message is strong and everyone wants to be a part of it. And so the more people we help, the more people tell other people, and so forth. In addition, as we continue to grow, we continue to create jobs in a Pandemic by building our team. Lastly, one of our visions is to create a Foundation to help underprivileged kids get inspired and mentored at an early age, along with an abundance of positive reinforcement because at an early age, it is so important to have role models and inspirational figures supporting you. This Foundation is in the process of being assembled as we speak, one of the many surprises to come in the near future for CLS.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
This might be an unconventional answer and I own that, but this is what comes to mind. I wish someone told me that you don’t have to fail. Because you see everyone in the space and everyone that knew what I was doing, expected me to have an abundance of failures and obstacles. Now let me be clear. There is nothing wrong with failing and facing obstacles. But if you do enough homework and you really believe in yourself and what you are capable of, you can learn and grow and minimize major setbacks. I’m very grateful to say everyday I wake up, I pinch myself to make sure this is real. Everyone seems to have bought into me and finds my message relatable. I think the world knows I am humble and I am grateful and I just want to get the world on Fire in the best way possible and I can honestly say, without a shadow of doubt, I am doing what I absolutely love in life, inspiring.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The Movement has already begun. Clients are Cultivating Lasting Symphony. In other words they are manufacturing breakthroughs in all facets of life. They are becoming their best selves, their best life does in fact lie ahead of them, not behind them. The community that we built in such a short time is so supportive of one another and so contagious and I can only hope that long after I’m gone, the CLS Movement continues to inspire and help elevate people for generations to come.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram: @CraigSiegel_CLS YouTube Channel: Craig Siegel
Facebook: Craig Siegel https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultivatelastingsymphony/
Website: www.CultivateLastingSymphony.com
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Absolutely. I am a huge fan of yours personally as well as Authority Magazine.