Episode Details

"It was good until it wasn't."

Erik Wahl valued hard work and success. Achievement + money were his measurement and, by his early 30s, he was very successful in corporate America.

Until he wasn't. During the dot-com bust in 2000, Erik lost the "financial fortress" he'd built and his identity along with it. This led him to ask the life-changing question:"Who were you before the world told you who you should be?"

Erik answered this question, made BIG changes in his life + redefined success. Now, as a performance graffiti artist, he helps clients like IBM, Microsoft and Disney answer this bold question, too. Today, we're going to "unearth great things lying dormant inside" of you. Join us!

SHOW NOTES:

• Watch the entire episode on YouTube.
• Often we're rewarded based on the 3 Deadly P's: Power, prestige + possession.
• Our script for how to live is off, we tend to live with a scarcity mindset. "I must secure what's mine so I can build; there's not enough available." Choose abundance instead.
• When you're rocked at your core foundation - financial, relational, health - you realize you long for something more.
• "As a speaker, I bypass the cynical brain + go straight to the heart. I stretch minds so we can see everything a bit differently."
• A mind stretched never returns to its original dimensions.
• Create for the sake of creating, not the finished product.
• I changed my definition of success: "What if success is a good meal with my wife and boys at the end of the day? I don't need certain life elements to be a certain way to be successful."
• Today, Erik is a performance graffiti artist. Check out John's behind the scenes tour of Erik's studio.
• Opportunity for love, relationship and empathy are hidden in plain sight. Don't be too "successful" to see them.
• Better leaders are more creative + adapt to change.
• Everyone is creative, but our creativity is hidden in uncertainties + the quietness of life... a space we don't often enter.
• Creativity, like gratitude, is a discipline. Embrace the choice to be creative like you embrace doing other difficult things.
• When asked "Who here is an artist?" Every hand goes up when we're kids, very few as adults. Why? Hear Erik's answer.
• "Let go of the idea that we 'earn value' through how we perform on paper, what college our kids go to, what car we drive."
  • How do I pivot into this? Look at your life + values. Are you living a life of success or significance? Does your calendar reflect your priorities?
• Art is an exploration of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Can I get out and dance with my wife and not let the critics or my own internal voice of judgement stop me from the enjoyment of moving with someone I love?
• How do we encourage the next generation to hold tight to their crayons? Commission your child to create. While doodling, they're thinking expansively + problem solving, not for a grade.
  • "Paint a picture of what you want to be when you grow up, and I'll take you for ice-cream... Write a poem about how much you love your mom, and I'll take you to a game."
  • Ask questions about your child's creation. It gives you insight to who they are.
• Spontaneity is a mini lab to practice living present in the now.
• Follow Erik at www.TheArtofVision.com
• Demarius "found" Erik's first geo-cached painting.
• Erik dedicated his books

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