change, decision-making, yoga

Beginning: Making the Leap from What You Are to What You Could Be

Christa Avampato

Artist: Hilary Morgan
“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” ~ Charles DuBois via Dailygood.org

“That which we grip we are destined to lose. That’s what our yoga practice teaches us.” ~ Matthew Sanford

I talk to a lot of people every day who feel stuck. They want to do X but, for one reason or another they can’t. So they do Y because “it’s a good, steady gig with predictable results.” And besides, everyone tells them that X is a little too far-fecthed. “I should just stay where I am,” they say, with their heads hung low and the deafening sound of defeat. Part of me wants to give them a good swift kick to help them “snap out of it”, but I don’t believe in violence so instead I listen and encourage. I really do understand their position even though I don’t like it; I empathize with it because I’ve been there a time or two. “Stuck” is an uncomfortable place to be and yet also a hard place to leave. Shrugging it off and moving on often feels like a superhuman feat, and it’s scary. I encourage them to be scared, and shrug anyway because that’s worked for me.

A lesson in getting unstuck
I was recounting a “stuck” feeling to my coach, Brian, a few weeks ago, and explaining to him that I was getting nervous that I was approaching that terrifying point of releasing what I am for the hope of what I could be, specifically related to my plans for Compass Yoga. He explained that there really was no point in being afraid, to which I cocked my head to one side and looked at him with my “you’ve got to be kidding me” face. He continued, as he always does, despite my expression. “When you’re done, you’re done, and there’s no way to stay stuck. Your authenticity, your YOGA, Christa, will not allow it. You don’t control when you’re done. Eventually you will force yourself to make the leap from what you are to what you will be because no other option will be available.” It’s these powerhouse comments that keep me going back to Brian every week; he is a teacher in the truest sense of the term.

Real safety
I’ve previously talked about the fabricated idea of safety that too many of us have clung to for far too long. The surest way to safety is trust, in you, in others, in a grand plan that is much bigger than you and me. I’m not sure how or why karma works, and to be honest I don’t ever really need to know how or why. I do know the best things that have happened in my life have had absolutely nothing to do with plans I made. Making those plans was just practice for the real tests that came my way. What allowed me to move ahead on my path was not my plan but my ability to be open, to listen, and to learn from my new, unplanned circumstances. I learned to be a master adjuster.

A gentle way to transform
In no way am I suggesting that you chuck caution to the wind, quit everything you’re doing in your life, and go crazy with your dream journal. Not at all. My suggestion is simpler: sit and breath. Notice where you’re gripping, in your body and in your mind, and see if you can loosen the reins a bit. Notice where you’re closed off and see if you can begin to open. Once you feel open, then consider what you are and what you’d really like to be. Are they very different people? If not, what small change can you make today to bring you closer to what you could be? If so, can you begin to build the courage and the strength to leap?

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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.

1 thought on “Beginning: Making the Leap from What You Are to What You Could Be”

  1. Christa,

    Thank You.

    I’m not sure you can have a plan: maybe you can have guidelines or ideas of what kind of life you want to pursue.

    Plans which are set in stone don’t allow for any flexibility or adaptibility to life and its changing circumstances or situations.

    Life is fluid like the water that runs through your fingers when you try to hold on to it or catch it from the current of a river.

    In that sense, what you have done with your life makes a lot of sense. And you deserve nothing but praise for your efforts.

    As for being stuck, the setbacks you have faced in your own life, well, let’s just say they were only temporary and you have learned to overcome those challenges and move on.

    I think everything will work out just fine for you provided you believe in yourself and the power of your dreams. The only alternative for you is to move forward and take calculated risks. Pursue yoga to its logical conclusion, me thinks, that feels like destiny. Just my opinion, by the way. Cheerio.

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I'd love to know what you think of this post! Please leave a reply and I'll get back to you in a jiffy! ~ CRA

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