Leap of Faith from liz-green.com“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating — in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” ~Anne Morriss
MJ, one of the very loyal and resourceful readers of this blog, sent me this quote a few weeks ago and its been milling around in my mind ever since. I’ve been thinking a lot about boxes – the ones we put ourselves into, the ones we put other people into, and the ones others put us into. I’ve been thinking of taking a more freelance approach to my life and work, and this potential is causing equal amounts of anxiety and excitement. I feel like I’ve got one foot firmly planted on a ledge and one hanging in mid-air. To combat this feeling, I focus on my breath until the anxiety passes.
And then this quote by Anne Morriss will pop into my mind. Perhaps a commitment to this new road is what I need to put the fear to rest for good. Rather than going round and round about the possibility, what I may need to do is stop waiting and just leap. What I’m doing now feels akin to holding my breath, freezing so that I won’t slip or stumble. We exhibit the freeze response when we encounter fear that we feel like we can’t fight or flee. The fear is all around us and so we hold, hoping it passes us by without seeing us.
This fear I have at the moment is different. It doesn’t really ever subside because it’s in anticipation of a step I know I must eventually take. Just today, I spoke with 3 good friends who have come to the realization that they need to have greater control over their careers, and that means taking their careers more into their own hands rather than leaving their promotion entirely at the hands of others. One just joined a start-up, and two are considering their own ventures entirely. All came to this conclusion: they are their own best bosses.
Not perfect and certainly not without its own challenges, but as good as it gets.
What entrepreneurship gives us, as Anne Morriss so brilliantly gets at in her quote, is the removal of walls and barriers to our potential. So long as we allow someone else to put us in a box constructed completely of their goals, performance reviews, rules, and visions of success, then we give someone else the power to define our future. The only box I’m ultimately interested in is the box I put myself into because I always have the option to break out of that one and redefine its boundaries. Perhaps its time for some re-imagineering of just how my time is spent, with whom, and for what.
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
6 thoughts on “Beginning: Tear Down The Walls to Your Potential by Commiting to Your Own Road”
Re-imagineering is my new favorite word!!! You’re an inspiration my friend!!!!
Ideally, your dream should go hand-in-hand with pragmatism.
For example: it would be wise to have a back-up plan. Do you have enough money saved up? Do you feel comfortable leaving your job to start a new business venture like Compass Yoga?
What if things don’t work out. In the long term, of course, things will work out, but what if things are not as per your expectations in the short term?
These are not negative thoughts, but thoughts that every entrepreneur has to think about. We all need a cushion to break our fall, after all.
Even after you start your company, you will find that things will pick up very slowly. You will need patience and a long-term perspective. Start-ups are never easy. It takes time to convert dreams into a reality.
Just something to think about. Hang in there. Keep your chin up.
I totally agree, Archan. I’ve been saving a lot the past four years exactly so i could build up a safety net, and I like having a multiple income stream life. Eases teh anxiety and gives me so many more options. All the same, I love you advice and appreciate your concern. The plan is coming together!
Christa Avampato 
Re-imagineering is my new favorite word!!! You’re an inspiration my friend!!!!
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Thanks, Urs!! I’m a big fan of this word and action, too 🙂
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An absolutely perfect post. Just what the doctor ordered. Thanks.
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So glad, Alex. Let’s tear down those walls and toss those boxes!
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Christa,
Yes, but it is equally important to be realistic.
Ideally, your dream should go hand-in-hand with pragmatism.
For example: it would be wise to have a back-up plan. Do you have enough money saved up? Do you feel comfortable leaving your job to start a new business venture like Compass Yoga?
What if things don’t work out. In the long term, of course, things will work out, but what if things are not as per your expectations in the short term?
These are not negative thoughts, but thoughts that every entrepreneur has to think about. We all need a cushion to break our fall, after all.
Even after you start your company, you will find that things will pick up very slowly. You will need patience and a long-term perspective. Start-ups are never easy. It takes time to convert dreams into a reality.
Just something to think about. Hang in there. Keep your chin up.
Cheerio.
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I totally agree, Archan. I’ve been saving a lot the past four years exactly so i could build up a safety net, and I like having a multiple income stream life. Eases teh anxiety and gives me so many more options. All the same, I love you advice and appreciate your concern. The plan is coming together!
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