In Robert Safian’s letter to the editor in Fast Company this month, he closed with a very poignant, short paragraph that was hopeful and also a mark of tough love delivered in an empathic way. We have been spending the past 18 months with a “whoa is me” attitude. The economy is awful. We’re afraid. We’re in a death spiral downward. What are we going to do???
It’s okay to hide under the bed for some amount of time after the dark days arrive. No matter how scared or uncertain or confused we are, we have to eventually come back into the light. We have to start living again, even if the kind of life we live going forward is dramatically different than the way we lived before.
Robert’s assessment is very clear and strong:
“These are dark days, no question. And unpredictable events, from natural disasters to fiscal meltdown to 9/11, can often make things look darker. But the unexpected can also be our friend, our ally, as long as we maintain hope and embrace our uncertain future. After all, we have no choice.”
He’s right. We don’t have the option to stay hidden away, hoping and praying for better days. We are going to have work hard, very hard, for them. And better days doesn’t mean the days we used to have. All we can do is embrace what we’ve got to look forward to, whatever that is.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
In Robert Safian’s letter to the editor in Fast Company this month, he closed with a very poignant, short paragraph that was hopeful and also a mark of tough love delivered in an empathic way. We have been spending the past 18 months with a “whoa is me” attitude. The economy is awful. We’re afraid. We’re in a death spiral downward. What are we going to do???
Christa Avampato 
Hi, Christa!Jennifer C. here again, coming to you from rainy Nashville. I have to laugh, because you’re always a day or two ahead of me when it comes to reading “Fast Company” – your sneak peeks are the impetus to get me to move it to the top of my reading pile! Also, there’s an article on CNN right now about GMail Labs and some of their latest innovations, including “Mail Goggles” (to prevent drunken e-missives) and “Undo Send,” where you can rescind a Reply-All or an email missing the attachment. That innovation factory continues to amaze me in how they evolve something as relatively simple as email – talk about identifying user needs that are current, valuable, and nowhere on the radar of some of the stodgier corporations. Hope all is well,Jennifer
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Hi Jennifer!! Great to hear from you. I love that you read Fast Company, too. How awesome! Don’t you just love all of the things that Google Labs thinks up. I love that company!
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