How Envy Expands Your Reality | The Erin Wilson Show

What if envy isn’t something to judge yourself for, but a clue pointing you toward the life you actually want?

In this episode of The Erin Wilson Show, I share the intuitive journey that led me to book a solo artist residency in Provence, France—despite fear, uncertainty, and it not fully “making sense” on paper.

We explore:
Envy as information
Intuitively aligned decision-making
Nervous system work and expansion
Quantum leaping and timeline shifting
Betting on yourself before you feel ready
Choosing alignment over comfort
Creative growth and reinvention
The power of saying yes to yourself

I also reflect on “fool consciousness,” colouring outside the lines of your life, and how the universe mirrors the possibilities we allow ourselves to believe in.

If you’ve been feeling called toward something bigger, softer, freer, more creative, or more aligned—this episode is your reminder that the call itself may be the invitation.

Transcript

So I want to talk about. . . Envy as a launch point for elevating your potential. Envy is often seen in a negative light, But really it's information that we can use to gain clarity on what we actually want for ourselves. Welcome to the Erin Wilson Show. I'm Erin, Designer, Creative strategist, Intuitive, And the CEO of Erin Rachel Designs. This is a space for reflection, Insights, And storytelling, With the intention of giving you the keys you need to unlock your creative potential and become the creative CEO of your own life. Hello! For those of you who have been following along, You know that I have been feeling a call to visit France. And for those of you who are just tuning into this episode, I've been feeling a call to go to France. Just something that has appeared as an intuitive feeling for at least a few months now. And so I've just been being curious about it, Sitting with it, Seeing how it feels on my body. And I had asked the universe for some sort of invitation to bring me there. And then in a previous podcast episode, I reflected. Further on it and thought. Maybe the strong whole to go is the invitation itself and that I, You know, Going back to my first episode talking about betting on myself. It's on me to just go for it and make it happen and to feel the fear and do it anyways. And so I'm going to France in October of this year. A couple of months ago, I came across the concept of an artist-in-residence program, And I had never heard about it before. And as soon as I saw it, I was like, I have to know what that is. What does that mean? How do I do one? And so I started looking into it. And I thought it was really interesting. There are some programs out there that are partly funded, Fully funded, Depending on, You know, Financial aid needs, Or there's different circumstances. But there's also lots of self-funded artist-in-residence programs out there. And I thought it was really interesting. And then it kind of fell to the back of my mind, Carried on with life. Just in the last couple weeks, I felt called to look deeper into that again. And again, I've been feeling so called to go. And I asked my family if they wanted to go to France with me. I asked my husband Matt. I asked a couple of friends. And my friends were like, Yeah, Sure, Let's do it, Which was super sweet of them. And I think it would be amazing to travel to Europe together. But when I was really, Really honest with myself, I knew that I was feeling the call to go on my own. And so I started looking into the artist-in-residence concept in France and I came across a few options, One of which in particular really sparked something within me and I've learned to really lean into that and trust that when something feels aligned in my body, Like it feels like my body is saying yes. And the residence, It's called La Maison de Beaumont, And it's in Provence, France, In a little village, Very quiet, Rustic, Scenic. I'll be going for two weeks. You have your accommodations, A shared atelier or artist studio where you can go and do painting and crafting. A shared terrace where you can meet up with the other residents and socialize. It seems like a really beautiful community before I decided to make the commitment to go. Before I even submitted my application. I was looking at their Instagram and videos other artists have posted of their experience there. And I had that feeling of envy. I mean, Of course, It just looks like such an amazing opportunity. So I want to talk about Envy as a launch point for elevating your potential. Envy is often seen in a negative light, But really it's information that we can use to gain clarity on what we actually want for ourselves. So when we feel envy, Which is super common on social media, And social media is a highlight reel of people's lives for the most part. So it's very natural to feel envy when we see some of the things that people are posting. But instead of making judgments on the person, That is having or experiencing what's causing us to have envy. What we can do instead is look inwards at ourselves and allow ourselves to want whatever it is that person has or is experiencing. That's really what it is. It's information pointing to something that we want to experience in our lives, Which is really, Really valuable. And I think that we tend to block ourselves from wanting those things. Could be for a variety of reasons. I can't afford it. I don't deserve it. It's just not. In my realm of possibility, Whatever it is. And. Something that I'm really passionate about. Is showing people. That the universe can be a mirror of infinite possibility. If that's what we embody within ourselves. And it can take a lot of inner work to get to that point where we are having those possibilities mirrored back to us because there's so much conditioning in place around. What is possible for us, But we're allowed to have an experience. And of course, There are. Real boundaries and barriers that people face. But most of. Those boundaries and barriers are. Stemming from our internal belief system, Our mindset. And if we can rewrite those and essentially brainwash ourselves into whatever is the opposite of what we've been believing, For example. I'll never make. Over six figures in a year. If you have that belief. That's going to be mirrored back to you. And it can feel really uncomfortable and scary to believe in whatever the opposite of that is for you. And it doesn't have to be financial. I feel like that's kind of the go-to. It could be about the types of relationships in your life, The type of job you attract to yourself. The home that's available for you to live in, Or options that you have available. So it can apply to so many things. And anyways, That's a whole other topic around mindset shifting, Which I'm sure I'll talk more about because it's something I've been working on. With intention for quite some time, Many years. Going back to the previous episode. Maybe two episodes ago where I was talking about maybe the invitation is just the call that I feel within myself. And then it's taking that leap of faith and doing it despite the fear or despite it not making sense on paper. Um, You know, It's, It's a financial investment that I'm making in myself that can feel quite scary. But how life can be like a video game almost where These opportunities present themselves and we have them. Power to say yes or no and to take a chance on a certain move and that by doing so We're giving ourselves the opportunity to elevate and level up faster. And just more than we would have if we didn't take the opportunity, If we didn't take that leap of faith. So I decided to do that for myself and I decided to book it. And I did have to hype myself up a bit for making the payment to reserve the room. And honestly, So much of the fear and anxiety is front loaded in that experience where I had to hype myself up. I did it. I pushed the button, Submitted the payment. And then afterwards, I felt so relaxed and neutral in a really positive way. There was no negative emotions behind what I had just done, Which felt very confirming for me that I had made the right choice for myself. And now I'm just free to, I still have to book my flight, But now I'm just free to. Daydream and imagine what the experience is going to be like, But I'm sure it's going to be even better than what I'm envisioning. Because again, I just feel such a strong call to to do this. So I'm really excited to see what comes out of that. And I have been so excited to update you on here. Something that I wrote down, I have this little notes in my notes app on my phone, I have a list of podcast downloads, So little insights that come through to me that I want to talk about and something that I wrote down. Is full consciousness. So you may have heard of the phrase Christ consciousness, I don't know how it relates to that if it does, But it would call it a way of living and navigating the world. If you think about tarot, The tarot starts with the fool and the fool's journey through the tarot. So it made me think of that when it came to me. And The Fool has that beginner's mindset. Of I don't know what I don't know. I'm curious, I'm open, I want to see what's out there. That's my understanding at least. A huge tarot person. I like tarot, But I don't study it or anything like that. But if you adopt the full consciousness, It's like navigating your life. With that idea of infinite possibility because you don't know anything else. And to you anything is possible and you're curious and you don't have hard lines around what life should look like. You're just ready to go on an adventure and discover what's out there for you and you want to experience all of the things. And go with the flow of life and trust what unfolds. So that's what I'm really embodying in this decision to take that leap of faith. I'm feeling the fear and I'm doing it anyways. And pretty much Anything I felt called to do intuitively, That I felt scared by, And done it anyways, I've been so grateful that I did. Another thing I wrote down is color outside the lines of your life and alignment over comfort. So colouring outside the lines of your life is again, What have you been conditioned to believe is possible for your life. And what would colouring outside of those lines look like? If you could have, Be, Or do anything, What would that look like? And it can be. So uncomfortable to to envision those things right to begin with. But then to even. Allow ourselves to indulge in the possibility of those things coming to fruition. And to get to a place where those wild possibilities feel safe in your body. It's a lot of nervous system work involved. That rewiring, Which is also something I've been very consciously working on, Is nurturing my nervous system. I've realized how critical that is for me. I think it's critical for everyone. So that's something I've been working on too. Feel comfortable with growth and to keep my body on the same page as my heart and my mind where they can be quite ambitious and believe in those massive possibilities of my body is more like, Oh, But I don't know that feels unsafe, That feels scary, Because our body knows Internal. Instincts are designed to keep us safe. So actively. Supporting the nervous system, Which can be done in a variety of ways and everyone's different in what works for them. But actively. Doing that while Dreaming big about all the possibilities that could unfold for you helps. Reduce the gap between you and those possibilities. It brings them closer and closer until suddenly. . . They're there in your existence. That is your reality. It's all super cool, Super exciting. Really loving learning more about. Nervous system work, And that mindset rewiring, Timeline shifting, Quantum leaping. Not an expert in all of that by any means, But I do feel like. Some of the or a lot of the decisions I've made to bet on myself in recent years has allowed me or enabled me to exist in a reality that is so different from where I started and so much more in alignment. Going back to alignment over comfort. For example, Me submitting my application to the residency program, Doing the interview. And once they said they would love to have me to then submit. The payment to hold my room. It wasn't comfortable. When it felt aligned. So that's a big cue for me to lean into that and do it anyways. I also wrote down aligned fear is a sign of growth and that you're about to level up. So I do firmly believe that to be true. So that's my big update. And something I want to do as well, I'm a big Oracle card fan. And I want to pick a card now and see what comes up, How it relates to what we've talked about today. In addition to, I would love to leave you with the encouragement to a daydream about if the universe is just infinite possibility. What possibilities do you want to build? Close the gap between you and that possibility. And it could be absolutely anything. Don't give yourself a ceiling because there is no ceiling in this exercise. And to B, Consider doing some conscious and intentional nervous system support. While you continue to daydream about these possibilities and to of try them on in, You know, Visualization. Think about how does it feel for you in your body, In your mind, In your heart, When you imagine yourself experiencing these possibilities. And then C to, Of course, With. A healthy amount of discernment. And whatever support you need to take a leap of faith on something that you feel a strong internal call, That sense of intuitive alignment to do and to take a chance on yourself and on that possibility. Okay, So the card that I got, And this is from. . . The Wealthy Woman Oracle by Taylor Eaton And the card that we pulled is the Artisan. And I'm going to read from the guidebook for this one. Money is a tool, Detachment. The artisan has a vision and uses every tool at her disposal to bring that vision to life. She doesn't hesitate to use the best tool for each job. Rather, She works efficiently and without attachment to the tools that she uses. Should a tool break or go missing, She finds a new one or a substitute. The concern lies in the outcome, Not in how she gets there. And her ultimate metric for success is dictated by the completion of her project. This card is a reminder to use money as the tool that it is in order to help you meet your goals. Just as you would not judge your worth based on what kind of hammer you do or don't have. You do not need to attach your identity in any way to the money that you do or don't possess. Examine where you may have grown too precious with your money. Have you become too attached to it rather than allowing it to serve your needs and desires? Have you tied your sense of self-worth or success to the amount of money that you have accumulated? Allow money to help you along your journey. Rather than centering your journey around it. So there's definitely lots of good stuff in there, But instantly it made me think of how I felt financial fear around my decision to book that trip to France, And I did it anyways. And the money in this case. Is definitely a tool to help me accomplish my goal because going there. Has become a goal in recent months for whatever reason. The reason really being that I feel a very strong intuitive call to do it and I'm always happy to have listened to my intuition in the end. Even if the process is messy, Or challenging, Whatever happens in the end. I am relieved that I did that. And in my application. You have to say how you intend to use your time there. I explained the book that I'm working on and how I think it's going to help women design a life of their choosing and prioritize themselves and become their most authentic creative selves. How if I'm still working on my manuscript at that time, Then that environment will really shape its final expression. In addition to that, I have a concept for an accompanying painting series that visually expresses the evolution someone goes through the process. And I talked in a previous episode about ley lines as well and the power that certain locations in the world can have on us and in activating specific things that will help us level up and evolve in our journey. And I think that these projects want to be expressed there. And my job is just to trust that. My job is to use the tools I have at my disposal to make them happen. And I am grateful to have enough money put aside that I could take that leap of faith. And while it is uncomfortable, It was enough money that It made me uncomfortable and feel that fear. I just knew and trusted that I would be grateful that I did it anyways. So I'm going to leave you with that. Thanks for listening.