Here’s my one big thank you for the week: thank goodness we don’t know how difficult some things are until we’ve already committed to seeing them through.
And I’m glad about that. I felt the same way about college and graduate school, about managing Broadway shows, about changing careers. If I had an inkling about how difficult any of these would be, if I had the correct sense of how steep the upward climb would be, I might have shied away from the opportunity. Instead, once committed, I was all in.
I feel this way about my advanced yoga teacher training at ISHTA Yoga, too. I didn’t know how many requirements were needed to complete the program in a few short months and just how and when and with whom those requirements could be completed. I worked out a schedule to complete all of the work, and for a brief second I held my breath. How would I get all of this done by the end of July?! A quiet voice that surprised me as much as delighted me calmly said, “Get to work.”
And then I began to laugh at myself. “Woe is me! I have to go to all of these wonderful yoga classes with these tremendously gifted teachers and learn from them? Wow, my life is really tough!” This training is a blessing. 2 weeks in and already my practice and teaching is changing in leaps and bounds. I feel my confidence and grace glowing and growing. The world looks so different through ISHTA-colored glasses. The opportunity is everywhere. All I need to do is show up with the intention to receive.
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
2 thoughts on “Leap: Thank You Notes Volume 4 – Thanks, Universe, for Preserving My Ignorance”
I loved this post. I so enjoy starting my day with your inspirational posts. I thought about when I ran the Boston Marathon and often say that if I would have known what was involved when I made the commitment, I never would have been able to do it. Yes ignorance is so bliss sometimes. I love that phrase “How am I gonna get it all done? Get to work” Amen! Thanks
So glad you enjoyed it, Mary! I love that example of the marathon. And isn’t that the truth! It’s such a tough training in the beginning and then you complete the race and it’s pure euphoria. Good for you!!!
Christa Avampato 
I loved this post. I so enjoy starting my day with your inspirational posts. I thought about when I ran the Boston Marathon and often say that if I would have known what was involved when I made the commitment, I never would have been able to do it. Yes ignorance is so bliss sometimes. I love that phrase “How am I gonna get it all done? Get to work” Amen! Thanks
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So glad you enjoyed it, Mary! I love that example of the marathon. And isn’t that the truth! It’s such a tough training in the beginning and then you complete the race and it’s pure euphoria. Good for you!!!
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