“Guard your own spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson via ZenMoments
“Be ruthless with your time.” ~ Pam Slim
New projects take a tremendous amount of time to incubate, plan, and implement. To make the most of the opportunity, time alone creating and time collaborating with kindred spirits is critical. And in our often overly connected world we can feel guilty for being selfish with our time. We must put the guilt away if we intend to do something truly meaningful. Guard your time – it’s yours to spend as you see fit.
On Friday, I spoke to Poornima Vijayashanker, my friend and founder of Bizeebee. (Bizeebee is company that creates yoga studio management software.) She was one of the first employees at Mint and is a wise, generous person who’s been very supportive of Compass Yoga. On Thursday afternoon, a few of the board members and I had an interesting meeting with a potential partner that left all of our minds swirling. Poornima’s advice helped ground me and see what a gift this Thursday meeting was for our development. And then she gave me some personal advice: carve out Christa-time – entrepreneurs need it and so rarely take it.
Quiet time alone allows our minds to percolate as we develop interesting solutions to tough challenges. To tap our creativity and imaginations, we have to spend time on our own. “Being an entrepreneur is like being in a race by yourself,” Poornima said. “All that really matters is that you’re doing your own personal best every day.” It’s so easy, and harmful, to endlessly compare our business to others. There’s value in keeping our finger on the pulse of the market. It’s not valuable to be hopelessly consumed by what everyone else is doing.
To follow our path, we have to pay attention to our intuition, our heart. And the only way to do that is to know our path. And the only way to know our path is to sit and breathe, alone. We must guard our time like a precious jewel because it is.
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
“Guard your own spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson via ZenMoments
Christa Avampato 
she is indeed a wise lady
LikeLike
Thanks Christa 🙂 I wish you the best with Compass, please keep me posted!
LikeLike
Will do, Poornima. And thanks for the pep talk and support!
LikeLike
Hi Christa, I am writing a book entitled “Prescription for Peace”. I am including a section on Time Management. Could I use the picture of the hand holding the clock on on of the pages of my book? Thank you so much.
Judith Payne
LikeLike
Hi Judi – the photo is not mine so I’m sorry that I don’t have the ability to approve it. I can’t remember where I got it 😦
LikeLike