“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” ~ Brian Tracy
“Playing it safe isn’t really safe at all,” Brian is fond of telling me as we work on charting a course for my life going forward. “The safe road just gives us the illusion of safety.” My yoga teacher tell me this, too. Safety is a little trick our minds use to help us get from day-to-day. If we actually came to grips without how much uncertainty we have in our daily lives, we’d have one long and major meltdown. The safe road is actually the one paved with the chances we took in our lives.
When I younger, I used to throw caution to the wind on a daily basis. I didn’t have a lot to lose back then. My chosen profession as a theatre manager was wildly unstable, I had hardly any savings, and I was used to living a life where I scraped by every month. Truth be told, I was kind of proud of my ability to scrape by. I thought it made me resilient and tough. I thought it was at the root of the definition of self-sufficiency, something I always wanted.
And then somewhere along the way, the elusive safety seduced me and made me more practical. Rather than getting an MFA, I got an MBA. Rather than following my heart after I finished graduate school, I followed the scent of a stable paycheck, a regular work schedule of 9-5 Monday to Friday, and a job title that many people respect. Now my career makes sense to others, but it doesn’t make sense to me.
A few weeks ago, Laurie Ruettimann, author of the blog PunkrockHR, wrote a post about making lists: q to describe what you would love to do for work, what you might do for work, and what you absolutely will not do for work. I think her post was addressing me personally. She hit some sore points that I’ve been turning over in my mind but have been a little frightened to articulate. I think it’s time to stop being so frightened. These lists are lens to evaluate new opportunities, and a tool to see differently should be celebrated, not feared. So here are my lists:
What I would love to do:
Writing and editing
Create products and services that are meaningful to people and the world
Research
Do some traveling
Teach
Support charitable causes
Yoga
What I might do:
Work outside
Work with kids
Fundraise for a nonprofit
Make coffee
What I won’t do:
Have a rigid schedule
Work in a gray cubicle
Collect a check without much meaningful work to do
Wait tables
These lists aren’t complete, but they’re a good start. Time to take more chances, be more active, and show up more often, even if I don’t know where it’s all leading.
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
“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” ~ Brian Tracy 
Christa Avampato 