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I just finished up Deepak Chopra’s latest book The Soul of Leadership: Unlocking Your Potential for Greatness. At the start of the book, he walks his readers through an exercise that will eventually lead to an individual’s purpose. Ideally, that purpose, or dharma, will be one word. At first, I was skeptical. Being a woman of many words, a fan of words, I didn’t believe I could get my great big beautiful life to fit in just one tiny word.
I love to be proven wrong because when that happens it literally blows my mind. In addition to being a woman of many words, I’m also a woman of strong convictions. That’s how I was raised – to have an opinion. And I just didn’t think that even the wisdom of Dr. Chopra was going to get my life into one word.
Dr. Chopra 1, Christa 0. Or rather, a win for both because he did help me get to a one-word purpose, so focused, elegant, and simple that it had me skipping around my apartment. After all of my wandering, literally and figuratively, I found a single purpose of being, not doing. Awareness. I am here, on this Earth, in this body, at this time, to wake up. And help others do the same. Awareness is the purpose that underlies everything I do, wherever I am, and whoever I’m with.
I thought a one word purpose would be confining when in fact it is the most liberating thing in the world. I do feel unlocked and I do feel great. just as the book promises in its title. Just saying “awareness” actually helps me to release and let go. It doesn’t feel small at all. It actually feels expansive, like all of a sudden I found a way to take in the whole world without feeling overwhelmed by it.
Do you have a word that conveys your purpose? If not, grab a copy of The Soul of Leadership and take a spin through the exercise. It takes about 30 minutes. I can’t wait to hear what you find!
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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 blog post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes. 
Christa Avampato 
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