The downhill path is easy, but there’s no turning back.” ~ Christina Georgina Rossetti, British poet
We have all types of negative connotations that refer to climbing uphill: ‘an uphill battle’, ‘a vertical learning curve’, ‘moving up the corporate ladder’, ‘getting to hump day in the work week’. Last week my yoga teacher, Jeffrey, talked to us about the joy that’s found in the uphill climb. If the different kramas (stages) of an asana (a yoga posture) are akin to how a mountain climber ascends up a slope, he encouraged us to be at whatever stage we are and enjoy the view. If we can only do headstand prep and not full free-standing headstand, then he asked us to consider how powerful that prep posture is and the benefits we are receiving from it. It works in yoga, and it works in life.
While coasting requires very little effort, whether we’re talking about yoga, careers, relationships, or any other part of our lives, it’s tough to turn back and take advantage of the views that we had the opportunity to see on the upside of the climb. They go whizzing down the mountain too quickly. As we head downhill, there’s less time for learning.
It’s not that the downhill offers no value at all. It does provide us with the opportunity to reflect upon everything we learned on the climb. On the downhill, we can bask in the glory of all the work we did in the ascent. We get to feel proud of our accomplishments, and the joy we find and exhibit is an inspiration to others to start their own climbs.
The key to happiness may just be to enjoy wherever we are, knowing that it’s all temporary, that we’ll have many uphills and downhills, and that each has something magnificent to offer us on the journey.
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 downhill path is easy, but there’s no turning back.” ~ Christina Georgina Rossetti, British poet
Christa Avampato 
Christa:
What a coincidence.
I was just thinking about Christina Rossetti and then you wrote this post. It is almost like a miracle, because I grew up reading her works. She is one of my favorite artists.
Uphill and downhill are relative terms, so I don’t even know whether we should use such words. Similar is the case with success and failure. Both are impostors, as Rudyard Kipling has pointed out in his famous poem, “If.”
Success is failure in disguise and failure is success wearing a mask. That’s the way I look at it. Happiness is about honoring the journey. Experiment with life, take risks, and don’t worry about uphill and downhill, success and failure.
We create such categories and labels. Then, we are imprisoned by such labels and categories. The trick here is to learn how to break free of such conditioning, me thinks.
Process learning is not about start or finish. Start and finish are irrelevant. Who knows what is start and what is finish anyway? All you can really do is enjoy the process.
That is the true joy of life–experiencing the process.
Cheerio!
LikeLike
Hi Archan,
I’ve never heard of her before so I can’t wait to read more of her work. I really loved this quote and it linked so perfectly to my yoga classes last week – no surprise of course, right?!
LikeLike
This is such an inspiring post! I just recently started getting into yoga, and it’s amazing how much it applies to our life in general. And how it’s filled with life lessons.
It’s so important to enjoy the present. I know that’s something that I have a tough time with. Thanks for the inspiring reminder. 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Margarita,
Thank you so much for stopping in to visit! I am so glad that the post was helpful for you – knowing that is really one of the greatest gifts that this blog gives me!
LikeLike
Christa, you’re very welcome! I look forward to reading more. 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Christa, I like the Rossetti quote; it brings back the thrill of speeding down a hill on a bike or jumping off a swing at the peak of its arc. It also made me think about the uphill. In my experience there are some projects that are so inspiring and so essential to our life purpose that even though we are on the uphill climb “there is no turning back.” -Jan
LikeLike
I understand what you mean, Jan. I definitely feel like I’m on that type of path right now. I know where I’m supposed to be going, and I’m on my way! No turning back.
LikeLike