“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
When my mother was in her mid-20’s, she and a girlfriend went to New Orleans on vacation. The way she describes the city over 40 years later sounds very similar to the way it is today. Lots of jazz music everywhere, amazing food, voodoo, history around every corner. (My friend, Dan, and I are planning a little trip down there in the Fall. Neither of us have ever been so we figured it would be fun for our next vacation adventure together.) My mom and her friend were walking down the street when they passed by a fortune-teller who asked if they’d like to have their fortunes read. And so the story goes that my mother said, without missing a beat, “No thanks. We’ll make our own fortune.”
That kernel of my mom’s truth got buried deep inside me. I don’t pray for things to happen in my life. I don’t wish for things, or throw up my arms asking for help. There are many incredible things that have happened to me because I was in the right place with the right people at the right time. It’s not that luck didn’t play a role at all. It’s just that luck is far below the title of my life. First, I had to be prepared, and that meant I have always had to work very hard in order to recognize and take a chance on a lucky break when it came my way. Without the preparation and the hard work, luck wouldn’t have helped me along at all.
I definitely feel that lucky wind on my back these days. I’m getting my arms around my career and my career shifts. I’m picking up freelance writing work. I’ve happened into wonderful, loving groups of new friends. I live in a lovely little apartment and have the luxury to really enjoy my life in New York. But this didn’t come about by accident or wishing or luck. It happened because I worked my tail off, especially when I didn’t have too many signs that I was working on the right things. A lot of this wonderful life of mine came about by going with my gut and taking a chance and having confidence to believe that if I really put my heart into something, I could get it to go.
I’m with my mom and Thomas Jefferson on this one. Luck is made, not born. I’d love to hear about your “lucky” breaks and how you made them happen!
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.
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“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
Christa Avampato 
