“The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
When I was little, Jiminy Cricket and his famous saying of “let your conscience be your guide” had a strong impact on me. I have always imagined our conscience, of consciences as the case may be, to be that little entity sitting on our shoulder, helping us navigate the world as good and honest people. Lately, I’ve also found that little voice serving the purpose of reminding me of my dreams and encouraging me to seek out new territory in many different areas of my life.
While our minds may riddle our thoughts with self-doubt, the conscience’s voice is clear and confident. In our hearts, we always know the right thing to do, the correct way to jump. We just second-guess our conscience and intuition, and this is caused by letting others put their expectations upon us. Who should we be? Where should we work? Who should we spend time with? If I do x, y, or z, what will others think of me? So rather than following our hearts and our conscience, we just turn down the dial on them, and focus on how others want us to live our lives.
My friend, Amanda, posted up a a quote by Michael Pollan, prolific author and healthy food advocate that really resonated with me this morning. My favorite line is, “without its daydreams, the self is apt to shrink down to the size and shape of the estimation of others.” He advocates for day dreaming as a tool in our lives that can guide us toward our best self. In day dreaming, the conscience’s voice is not only clear, but also strong. In day dreaming, we’re reminded that the voice of the conscience never goes away. We may put it on mute while running through our daily lives, but eventually, in the dead of night and the soft hush of morning, on our yoga mat, or during any time of silence, there it is, whispering our dreams back to us.
By silencing the conscience, we ensure a mid-life crisis, or a crisis of faith, that moment of “what the heck am I doing with my life?” And it can all come crashing down, this carefully constructed, “right way of doing things” sort of life. This crash isn’t inevitable. It just requires work to avoid it, strength and courage to live the lives that we want to live instead of ceding to the expectations of others. You can’t get rid of the conscience; in the long-term it’s going to win. So just listen. Now. It wants to be your guide, so just let it do its job.
The image above is not my own. It can be found here.
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
“The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi 
Christa Avampato 
Beautiful post! Great cheer here, “If I do x, y, or z, what will others think of me?” LOL
My own dilemma is from the opposite end of the spectrum. I have the fortune/misfortune of having a one ton gorilla as a conscience rather than the darling little jiminy cricket. It’s a bit daunting at times. I could never understand how others are able to stick a “real” job and walk the walk others have outlined for them – but I have been momentarily envious on many occasions. On those occasions I generally get a dumb job and relax (as in not driving myself 24/7 doing my own thing) for 6 months until it drives me out of my mind and back to my heart. It’s all rather tricky finding our way between the heart and paying the rent :). I wish all of us luck with that balancing act.
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Hi Trish – isn’t that the big question for all of us!? How do I do only what I love and still pay the rent. A delicate balance in indeed. It’s my big focus for 2010 and so far so good. It’s all falling into place. I want us all to find our way there. Thanks as always for your honesty and sharing your experience – I love reading your comments and blog 🙂
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catching up on my reading of your blogs — love them, and this Jiminy one is really insightful.
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Well, Christa, what can I say? How nice. Great post, as usual.
You know what?
I will have a hard time forgiving you if you don’t rent this really fabulous movie and watch it all by yourself.
Want to know the name of that movie? Ta da, ta da…
“Dead Poet’s Society” starring the inimitable Robbin Williams. Watch it when you feel like vegetating over buttered popcorn, soda, pizza and becoming a couch potato. Nothing wrong with a little down time…
Just check it out, Christa, you won’t regret it.
In a way, your blog post reminded me of this movie, so I thought of sharing. What an inspiring film. It resonated with me just like your posts resonate with your readers.
Carpe Diem: Seize the Day. Make your life remarkable!
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I love that movie, Archan! One of my very favorites. Robin Williams is so brilliant. Carpe Diem – something we should carry with us every day!
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What I love about blogs is that often they provoke a thought in my mind. Once that happens, I feel as I must comment with the hope it can be valuable to other people. As there are various weblogs with many points of view, they challenge your thinking. It is at these moments when you have fantastic insignt other people might not have had, which include the blogger himself/herself. I find myself coming back to your blog site because you have several great insights and you have been at this a very long time, and that is very inspiring and tells me you know your stuff. Keep triggering imagination in other people!
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Hi Parker! Thank you so much for your comment, your visits, and your kind words. I hope you keep coming back to the blog and commenting. I love the conversation!
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