“The only universal resource is time.”
I’ve recently had separate conversations with 2 friends that followed the exact same path. Like me, Amy and Michael are putting financial plans in place to assure that in the future they work on the projects that mean the most to them. They don’t want to retire early in the traditional sense. They absolutely want to keep working throughout their lives. They just want the option to work on their own personal passions.
This is a different way of thinking about work and savings. The 3 of us have jobs that satisfy certain requirements, though none of us would call them the ideal roles for us. Truthfully, the only ideal roles for us are the ones we create ourselves, for ourselves. So what has been our search criteria for work? Time. Our #1 requirement in our job searches has been to have jobs that provide us with the time and flexibility to work on our own personal projects, the projects that feed our souls. And to use our jobs to build up our savings to make more of those projects possible.
Another friend of mine recently criticized this view of my job. “You are really wasting your time,” she said. “It’s really a shame that you don’t have a job that challenges you more.” What I thought was shameful is that she lives for her job for a very large company that really has no sense of loyalty to her. If anything, this recession has shown me that your top priority needs to be you and the people whose lives you personally and professionally effect. I have plenty of challenge in my life – I challenge myself with all of my creative projects that happen outside of my office building. They are the projects that truly mean something to me and to the world. They are the accomplishments I am most proud of.
To be clear, I appreciate the skills I’ve built and experiences I’ve had at my company. It’s provided me with a good living and a manageable schedule to make my yoga, writing, and personal life rich and meaningful. It’s helped me look at the world in a new way. It’s given me numerous opportunities to give back to my community, donating time and money to worthy causes. It serves a tremendous purpose, even at the times that it frustrates me.
If you’re searching for a new job, or even just contemplating leaving your current role, be very clear about your situation. What are you leaving, what are you looking for, and what needs to be there for you in the next pasture?
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 only universal resource is time.” 
Christa Avampato 
Christa:
Nice post. Thanks for your contribution here.
I think that is why a lot of working professionls are reluctant to leave a steady paycheck.
Even a job that leaves much to be desired still pays the bills.
It may not be an “ideal” job. Then again, we don’t live in a world of utopia. Sometimes, you have to be realistic and compromise until something better comes along.
If you leave your job, will you find something that is an extension of you? Will the work you love bring in the bacon or put food on the table?
Finding an “ideal” job is easier said than done. The important thing is to keep on trying to find something better while holding on to your day job. That’s what a lot of people have done, over time.
Is that the right way to go about your job search? I am not sure, but it is one way to go about it.
In your case, I think you will find yourself at the right place at the right time. It is just a matter of time, but it can happen.
I think the mysterious coincidences in your life will lead to the kind of work you are looking for: where work becomes play.
Until then, please hang in there, chin up, and do not give up.
You have made rapid strides, both personally and profesionally and you have contributed some great work.
More power to you. And best of luck. Hope you find what you are looking for. Cheers.
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You know I’ve always admired that your entries are rarely focused on your day job. Often times, I wonder how you find the time to participate and be involved with all the other creative projects and events outside your 9-5 job. Having said that, I like that you don’t just write about the ins-and-outs of work life. It’s refreshing to read and inspiring to hear about your other goals like your Yoga teaching etc. But, as you said without the proper time…it can be quite difficult to juggle it all. How do you do it? 🙂
For some reason, I find that this part of the world gets caught up with the “live-to-work” philosophy as opposed to the “work-to-live” one. But I think that those projects that feed your soul as you mentioned in your post…. are the goals that help balance out our lives and help us “work to live”, and enjoy a life that fosters our creative ambitions. Without those, we can really lose site of what makes us happy, and why we work in the first place…
Great post!
PS. I just came back from New York last week, and love your city! It’s quite an overwhelming place, with lots to see and do….AND I was already left wanting more of NYC. So I definitely want to go back in the future 😉 Thanks for emailing me those tour links.
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nice post christa.time is the most valuable thing. i would be happier in my role if i were simply allowed to use my downtime on external pursuits instead of being chained to my office like flowers in the attic. facetime is dumb and exasperating.
xxoo
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