Walking into the Unknown with Arthur Vibert

Have you ever noticed that when you are depressed about something, your mind quickly finds ten other things to be sad or depressed about? And if you linger in this 'Woe is me!' state long enough, then you go into a downward spiral pretty quickly? We have all been there; haven't we?

My guest today had a similar experience when his glorious career in Advertising ended, and he felt as if he had no real purpose left in life. Shortly after that, he lost both his parents; some of his friends died unexpectedly, his mentor passed away, and so did his dog. Overwhelmed by a sense of loss and grief, my guest went through a bad phase where he drank too much, watched too much television, gained over 50 pounds, and worse, felt sorry for himself.

A visit to the doctor was the final wake up call for him when he finally realized that he could either choose to commit suicide by personal neglect or take control of his life. Thankfully, he chose the latter. During this time, he leaned into ‘faith and trust’ to turn his life around, and in this interview, you will find out how.

My sixth guest for 'Walking into the Unknown' series is, Arthur Vibert, an Author, Creativity Coach, and a Creative Consultant. Arthur helps his clients identify their goals in life and business, and then helps them eliminate impediments or the creative blocks that stand in the way of those goals.

Question: When did you decide to step into the unknown?

Arthur: I have stepped into the unknown several times throughout my life. I decided to attend an Arts school in London. Having grown up in the Bay area, and not traveled much, taking this step was a giant leap of faith for me.

I didn’t know anyone in London, didn’t know which school I was going to attend or how I was going to pay for my education. I had no idea how things would unfold, but ultimately, it all worked out. My teachers at the Arts school were all working professionals, which was unusual at the time. Working with them set me off on a good start in my professional career.

After finishing school, I worked for a couple of years in London, and then I went to Chicago, another city, I’d never been to before. I didn’t have a job there and had no idea of what I was going to do. I just showed up, and within a month, I was working and had a place to live. After Chicago, I decided to make New York my home and had a similar experience of not knowing all the details, but things working out eventually. So it became a pattern throughout my career where I trusted that I could step into the unknown. 

The thing is there are no guarantees of the desired outcome when you step in a brand new situation. 

When you take a chance, sometimes things work out and other times, they don’t. Regardless of the outcome, you always learn a tremendous amount in the process. Whenever I have leaped into the uncharted territories, the universe rewarded me, amply.  

I believe that the only time the universe doesn’t support you is if you start to get greedy or stop being generous to those around you; that’s when things fall apart.

Question: How did your decision of walking into the unknown pan out for you?

Arthur: My decisions of stepping into the unknown panned out really well for me. Professionally, I was fortunate to work with some of the top companies in London, New York, Chicago, and California. I have never been shy about embracing new opportunities. There were surprises along the way, but things always worked out for the best.

On a personal level, I used to think of myself as an introvert, and this mindset prevented me from connecting with other people. 

At the height of my depression, I realized that if I sat at home and kept staring at my computer screen all day long, nothing would change or happen. I realized that I could no longer use my introvert personality as an excuse not to connect with people.

And so, I became more active on LinkedIn and started having phone conversations with people. I would message people and say, are you interested in having a conversation? I have no agenda, I don’t want to sell you anything, and I just want to have a conversation. People liked my direct and candid approach. I spoke with a lot of people, made wonderful friends, and some of them were local whom I now meet with in real life.

Connecting with people helped me turn my life around. It took me out from being insular, defensive, and honestly scared, to realizing how wonderful, big, and exciting the world is! I went from being a sad person to being engaged in the world and, and feeling healthy and invigorated, and ready to contribute again.

Through my process, I have learned that when you put yourself out there and genuinely connect with people, things will shift in your life for the better. The universe will reward you.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t add that while putting yourself out in the world, you need to trust your intuition because not everyone can be trusted. Bad things do happen, and you know, there’s no way around it. They happen to everybody, but don’t let that stop you from living your life. 

Question: What were the three lessons you learned by walking into the unknown?

Arthur: The first lesson I learned is to trust. Trust yourself and your intuition. It’s ok to take a chance even when you feel that you have no safety net to fall back on. As humans, we buy into the illusion of safety because deep inside, we all feel insecure. The truth is that at any moment, all of us are fragile. And if you live your life terrified, then you’re not living your life. If you try and hide, things can still find you so you might as well live your life to the fullest.

The second lesson I learned is that love is essential. Love people and appreciate them when you’re with them because you may not know how long they will be around. While it is important to give love, it is just as important to receive love. Let other people love you back.

And finally, I learned that life becomes fun and wondrous when we learn to do all things with joy. We all obsess about setting goals, about achieving targets, but it’s not just about the final destination, it’s about the journey. It may sound cliché, but it’s so true. If we can enjoy the whole damn ride, everything becomes even more beautiful. Isn’t it?

In Conclusion,

• Trust that the universe always has your back, and wants to support you in your endeavors.
• Be 'fearlessly you' in the world and live your life to the fullest.

I hope you learned valuable lessons from Arthur's sharing. Please make sure to connect with Arthur on LinkedIn.

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If you struggle with Fear and Failure, then make sure to check out my book on Overcoming Fear and Failure here.