This post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes.
“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.” ~ James Bryant Conant
A lot of people I know are thinking about changes in their lives, or are in the midst of change, expected and unexpected. They are wondering whether taking a chance is really the right thing to do. They’re plagued by fears of failure and unhappiness and embarrassment. Pursuing a dream can be a scary thing — it takes courage to announce to the world what you’d like to do and then go do it because there is always the risk of face planting and then having to explain what went wrong. And who likes to be wrong?
I’m having this issue, too, roughly every hour on the hour. I have been waking up with a perpetual nightmare that I’m sitting all alone in the beautiful yoga studio I’ve rented because no one showed up for class. Now, this is a slight over-reaction considering how many people have RSVP’d just through the Meet-up group for the class and I still have roughly 75% of a marketing plan up my sleeve. But it could happen. Failure can always happen, no matter how successful we’ve been in the past, no matter how good an idea we have may be. The possibility of failure is never 100% erased from a situation.
So here’s some advice: listen to James Bryant Conant and think about yourself as a turtle. You’re all curled up in your nice warm shell, safe and protected from the outside world. It’s important to have that shell with you – whenever you make a change or try something new, it’s nice to know a safe retreat is available should you need a private place to lick your wounds a bit and heal from a plan gone wrong. But you just can’t stay in there forever and be happy. Every once in a while, you need to have a peek at the outside world. To get anywhere, you’re just going to have to climb out of that shell for a while and be exposed, moving one step at a time.
Others have done it. You can, too. Let’s stick our necks out there together and encourage one another along the road. Let’s make some progress.
This blog is part of the 2011 WordPress Post Every Day Challenge.
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
This post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes. 
Christa Avampato 
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