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.
I am very grateful for you being here,
And for joining me on the vulnerable process of starting a solo podcast.
I went away with a couple friends for the weekend recently,
It was a girl's trip,
And it was just so amazing all around,
But I had some really great breakthroughs and realizations while I was there.
I was reminded that in order for that clarity to come,
I need to be relaxed.
And it was such a contrast to what my routine has been like lately on this work contract that I'm on right now.
It's keeping me very busy,
Stress levels are naturally higher,
And with that weekend away,
It became extra clear that I wasn't taking,
I wasn't building in time to relax and reflect and to allow the clarity and insight to come through that I needed.
And so there were some things on my mind that I wasn't sure which action I wanted to take,
What direction I wanted to go in,
And literally the first night,
We were away for two nights,
And the first night I got the answer that I needed around one of those major things.
And so,
Yeah,
I was reminded of the importance of building in time for relaxation,
And the busier and the more stressed we are,
The more we need it.
And it can be so hard in those busy periods of life to build in that time to feel like we have the quote-unquote luxury of taking that time.
But it really does need to be made a priority,
Because if not,
We may be missing signs,
We may be missing the clarity that we need to move forward,
We might be pushing through burnout and really not working as effectively.
And this contract I've been in has been a really big learning experience in terms of managing my time and my priorities,
Ensuring that I am setting boundaries to protect some of that time to keep for myself,
To bring in that clarity,
And for self-care,
And for managing my other client workload,
And my home life,
And all those pieces.
And I'm glad I'm going through that lesson,
Because I do feel that it's really strengthened and clarified what those priorities are for me,
And how to better go about structuring that.
So that was the first thing I wanted to talk about today,
Is how relaxation,
And I don't even want to just use the word relaxation,
But it could also be stillness,
Silence,
Pausing,
Retreat,
Shaking up your usual routine,
Taking a breather,
Whatever that looks like for you,
However you want to phrase it.
But how that enables clarity and insight,
And how crucial that is to be able to move in the right direction,
And remain in alignment with your higher purpose,
With your passion,
With your North Star.
What's really important to you?
What is it that you're working so hard for?
As I think that we can get so bogged down in the everyday,
And checking things off the list,
And you know,
Some days,
Especially these days recently,
Where it's just been so busy,
There's so much to do.
It's a matter of,
I mean,
I've been very in the present,
And in the sense of,
I can only focus on what's in front of me,
Because what's in front of me is occupying so much time,
Space,
And energy.
But it has pulled me out of focusing on the bigger picture.
So of course,
We don't want to be focusing on the future so much that it is out of balance with being in the present.
But days can go by where I think we all can end up in a pattern of just getting through the day,
And not really checking in with ourselves on,
Am I working towards my purpose?
Am I still following my North Star?
Is that path still clear?
Does it still feel aligned?
Does this feel purposeful?
And of course,
It's not going to feel that way all the time.
Sometimes we have to do work,
Or you know,
Check things off our list that feel mundane,
Or boring,
Or they don't feel like they're contributing to that purpose.
But I think it's the overall pattern,
And the overall feeling that you get flowing from day to day that's important.
And I,
Going back to my story,
Was just so reminded of how I had gone weeks at that point without really taking that time to rest,
To integrate things I have recently gone through,
To restore myself on a mind and body level,
Even spiritual level,
To connect with other people in a deeper way,
Outside of work Teams and Zoom calls.
And it was just so beautiful.
And I think we all needed it,
Myself and the two friends I went away with.
And you know,
We laughed,
We cried,
We watched nostalgic movies,
We ate good food.
And those kinds of experiences are so good for the soul,
And so important to integrate into our lives.
And having that support system as well,
I found to be so helpful in all phases of my life that I've been through.
But as I'm working to build my business,
As I'm working through some challenges in my career,
You know,
Ways I'm being stretched that are uncomfortable,
Aiming to step into more of a leadership role,
Working towards starting a family,
Recently buying a home,
There's so many things that are going on,
And having a solid support system is so crucial in helping ground us in those phases of busyness and confusion and overwhelm and massive change.
And I hope that you have that support system.
Or if you don't feel like you have that support system,
I hope that you try to find that for yourself and know that you are worthy of having that support,
Having supportive people in your life who are your cheerleaders and want to see you succeed,
Are willing to help you along the way where they can.
And yeah,
That was one of the things I wanted to talk about today.
And another story from my weekend away was that I had this realization as well that going back to One's Purpose and North Star,
For me,
I realized I live for the moment that someone realizes that what they want is possible.
And when they can see past the barriers that they have created for themselves or that they perceive to be there by their upbringing,
Societal conditioning,
What people have told them they're capable of,
Whatever those limiting beliefs are,
Because most of the time it is just a belief and not an actual barrier.
Yeah,
I live for helping people find the courage to go out of their comfort zone and to discover what's on the other side of that.
Because that's something I've actively sought out for many years now,
And I feel like I've really pushed myself.
And there's something about it that can be a bit addictive when you do get more comfortable with pushing those boundaries of what your comfort zone is,
Becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable.
And I know from my own experience,
It's opened up so many doorways for me that otherwise wouldn't have presented themselves.
And,
You know,
I'm really proud of myself for doing that.
I think had I not started going into my comfort zone years ago,
My life would look very,
Very different than it does now.
And not that that would be wrong.
It just would feel smaller,
Safer,
And a little less exciting.
And a little less aligned with who I truly am and what I truly desire.
And so I love helping people overcome those limiting beliefs around what's possible for their lives and really empowering them to believe that they deserve to have their desires come to fruition and that they're capable of driving that.
And that they do have control over their lives.
Instead of every day talking about what you don't like about your life,
Starting to really think outside the box.
Think creatively around,
How can I shift that?
And what could that look like?
How would I feel on the other side of that?
Where can I seek support in helping me get there?
Because none of us can do it alone.
You know,
We can take steps on our own,
But the whole journey requires some support,
Even if that's just moral support.
Going back to having a support system,
Everything always seems to tie together in the end.
So that's something I want to more consciously help people with.
That's something that makes me excited.
It really makes me feel alive to have a conversation with someone where we leave the conversation with them feeling more empowered and motivated to make change in their life,
To embrace change,
Take action towards the ultimate life that they want.
And I do feel that it ties in closely with my path as a creative,
As a designer,
Because that's the mode that my brain operates in most of the time is creative problem solving.
And when you master that way of thinking,
It doesn't just apply to what's on a page.
It can be applied anywhere.
And I really do try to lean into that in all areas of my life to adjust what's not working,
Adjust what doesn't feel good in my body or in my routine,
In my life in general.
And the book I'm working on right now,
Which I'm very excited about,
And I'm very excited once this contract ends to have more time to really immerse myself more in the process of bringing that to life,
I feel that it's going to be a really helpful tool in enabling people to overcome these barriers.
It's geared more towards women,
Though anyone can benefit from reading it and going through the exercises in the book,
Because it has some personal stories,
Personal journal entries.
And then it also has activations,
It's what I'm calling them.
So text that you read,
That is meant to activate something within you to inspire that change.
There's an art piece that goes with each of those that also is meant to activate something within you on a deeper level as you sit with it.
And then there's also an affirmation and an exercise to do.
So it's a very hands-on,
Immersive guide for the journey that you go through.
And it is geared more towards women,
But that's just because that's what I feel called to do.
And I think part of that is that as women we do tend to downplay our needs and desires more just because of conditioning.
Women are the caregivers,
Caretakers.
We're meant to,
Or we feel or have felt the need to put our needs secondary,
Make sure that the community and the family is taken care of and we get the scraps that are left at the end.
Of course,
This isn't across the board.
Some women are excellent at putting their needs first,
Which I think is very admirable.
And ultimately,
If all of us take care of ourselves first,
Then we're going to be better humans and we're going to show up better at home and at work and in life in general.
And so it's really a shift away from this way of being and operating as women,
Of self-sacrifice and putting ourselves secondary,
To this more desire-driven,
Sovereign,
Luxurious,
And passionate way of living and thinking and approaching our purpose.
As I've been writing and creating this book,
I can feel the impact that I think it will have and how it will land with people,
The right people who are meant to go through the journey.
And it feels quite powerful and I'm very proud of it and I'm very excited to bring it to life and present it to the world and have it be received.
And I'm not even going to say potentially make a big difference in people's lives because I truly feel it is going to make a big difference.
And I'm also manifesting that what I am birthing through my creative mind and my experience combined is going to make a big difference in people's lives and is really going to help to shift their energy and shift them out of that space of being caged by their own limiting beliefs and past ways of operating that are no longer working and probably haven't been working for generations.
Because it is in a lot of cases undoing generations of women are expected for how we feel we're supposed to show up in the world and be of service to others.
It's meant to shift us from being of service to others first to being of service to ourselves and how that ends up positively affecting the whole system,
The whole collective,
Our families,
Our communities,
Other women.
I think it's going to be one of my best creations yet.
I'm also learning all of this as I go too and I will be using my own book going through the journey with you or whoever reads it.
I'm certainly not posing as an expert,
But I can say that I have a lot of experience going out of my comfort zone,
Exploring what's on the other side of that,
Getting comfortable in the uncomfortable.
You just keep leveling up from there and that comfort zone keeps expanding and expanding until you just can take on more.
You can hold more in your life.
You can hold more responsibility,
Pleasure,
Abundance,
Creativity,
So many good things.
Like in the last episode how I said that I think we're rewarded when we practice courage in putting ourselves out there.
It's the same sort of thing because that's going out of your comfort zone as well.
I think in the same way when we consciously expand our comfort zone,
We are rewarded in experiences,
Opportunities,
Encounters,
Gifts,
Abundance,
Joy,
Whatever that is that's on the other side of pushing that barrier,
That boundary.
I think that pretty much sums up what's on my mind and in my heart for today that I want to share.
Thank you so much for listening and I'm excited to keep you updated more on my book and its potential due date.
I like to think of things that I create as babies of sorts where I'm nurturing them and I'm sharing my energy with them to bring them to life.
I'm looking forward to updating you more on that and I hope that you have a great rest of your day wherever you are in the world.
