“You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”~ Rumi via MindBodyGreen
For the past few months, I’ve been reading a book of poetry by Rumi. Each day I read a poem right before I go to bed. It’s proving to be a beautiful ritual that closes out each day with grace and peace. Invariably, each poem helps me to appreciate the lessons I’ve learned each day and how they can be used in my life going forward.
If you came over to my apartment, you’d find tiny pictures everywhere that symbolize the idea of leaping. I’ve become rather obsessed with these images. I find that they have so much hope in them. They give me courage as I prepare to make a huge change in my career and by extension, my life. You’ll find most of them on my Photography Pinterest board. There’s one with a quote that reads, “Sometimes you just need to leap and build your wings on the way down.” The line from Rumi above (thanks MindBodyGreen!) made me realize that it should really read “Sometimes you just need to leap and use the wings you’ve already got.”
I already have everything I need to make this jump – experience, purpose, and support – and now I just need the missing ingredient – time – to bring it all together. Lisa, one of the lovely readers of this blog, wrote in a comment on yesterday’s post that she hasn’t yet found the courage to make her leap. The first idea that flooded into my mind was that courage is closer than she thinks. It is for all of us.
There will never be a time when everything falls into place and eliminates all risk. If we are to fly we have to leave the security of the ground for the lightness of the air. We forget that air has heft to it, too. It is able to carry, support, and sustain travelers through long journeys. However, air requires that we work just as hard as it is willing to work. We have to be brave, stretch and reach out far and wide, in order to receive its benefits. It asks a lot of us, and that’s okay because these wings of ours, the ones we have always had, are begging for some wear, for some room, for some time to show what they’re made of and what they have to offer.
Eventually we will have no choice. Those wings won’t be contained for long. They either get used or they atrophy. And if that’s the choice, then why not give them a shot at the prize and go along for the ride? At the very least you’ll have a wonderful adventure and if you’re lucky you may just have the time of your life.
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: Use the Wings You Already Have”
A poetic post for sure. I can feel your passion and power coming through – and will be reading today’s post about power .:) As you share your journey, you empower yourself and also bring others’ to new heights. Much love to you.
Christa Avampato 
A poetic post for sure. I can feel your passion and power coming through – and will be reading today’s post about power .:) As you share your journey, you empower yourself and also bring others’ to new heights. Much love to you.
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Rumi has such a knack for words. Simple, yet full of expression. Liked this post.
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