What this ex-convict can teach you about the power of self-worth…

On New Year's Day 2015, Craig Stanland sat in the library of a federal prison and pictured how he’d end his life: by putting a bullet in his own head. The vision seemed so clear that he could practically taste the cold steel of the pistol…

Just a few years before that moment, Stanland appeared to be living the dream: luxury cars, multiple homes, an incredible wife, and a swanky lifestyle. But he felt unworthy of it all.

That insecurity, that unshakable sense that he was an imposter, drove Stanland to want more. It seemed like the only way to fill the void…

This is where greed led Stanland astray. He created aliases to defraud a large tech company, making hundreds of thousands from the scheme. He knew it was wrong from the start.

Less than 12 months later, he received a voicemail from the FBI: agents were at his home and ready to put an APB out for his arrest. Stanland was eventually sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $834,307 in restitution. He’d lost everything, including his marriage.

In prison, Stanland got a visit from his best friend. This, he thought, was the opportunity to finally unburden his thoughts of suicide. But something unexpected happened: his friend had come to talk about the trouble he was going through.

This was all Stanland needed to find his way out of rock bottom. Having been stripped of everything he thought gave him worth, his eyes had been opened to his real value: being a friend that someone could trust and confide in.

Stanland realized he’d been outsourcing his self-worth to material things that came and went. His real value lay within. Despite everything he’d done, despite everything he’d lost, he still mattered to those he loved. That was enough – not just to keep going, but to start over.

It took Stanland years to let go of his mistakes. He still carries some shame, but he’s also realized that shame poisons self-worth – and the only antidote is self-forgiveness. Learning that was one of the most meaningful moments in his life.

Today Stanland describes himself as a “reinvention architect”: a speaker and coach who inspires people to turn their life around. Ultimately, his message is to listen to what the power of human connection tells us: that our true value lies in our ability to help others.