“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~ Voltaire, French writer, historian and philosopher
In the last few weeks, I’ve done a heavy dose of reflecting. I’m in prime planning mode for 2013. What direction will I take with my career? How will my personal life unfold? What do I want to learn? What do I want to do more often and what do I want to give up? Where do I hope to be at this time next year and how do I chart a course to get there? These are heavy questions.
Sometimes, I get frustrated. I see so many options that I get stuck and run the pros and cons through my mind over and over again. When this happens, I just stop. I close my laptop. I put down my pen. I take myself (and Phin) for a walk.
The break clears my head and I return to my challenges with fresh eyes. While on break, the wheels of my subconscious spin and ruminate without interference from the filters of my conscious mind. My subconscious goes free-wheeling to make connections between seemingly disparate bits of information. It combines information in all sorts of ways without attaching judgement. The key is that last bit: no judgement. When I let my conscious mind give up, my imagination can run wild and that is the best way to solve challenges.
Maybe this time of year invites reflection for you, too. Like me, you may be running through different scenarios for the year ahead. You will need to make choices on how to spend your time, energy, and effort. If it overwhelms you, I hope you’ll give up, too. Stop trying so hard to figure it all out. Let your mind sort it out and don’t get in its way.
This holiday, spend time with your family and friends. Let yourself laugh. Power down your devices (at least for a little while.) Be present. Reconnect with nature. Go for a walk, confident in the knowledge that the answer will rise up precisely when it is needed and that you will be both aware and relaxed enough to hear it.
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
4 thoughts on “Leap: Give Up and Keep the Wheels Turning”
YES — I realized that I needed to take a break from studying for the final exams for yoga teacher training and also practicing my flow for my first public class. So awesome to hear you explain why this break that I intuitively knew was important is so important. I also took a blog break. I am enjoying my time on the mat now without always thinking about what I need to learn from this or incorporate into my eventual teaching. I am allowing myself time to juts be and as I ‘talk’ about yoga or anatomy with others am astounded by how much I really do know. Namaste xoxo
I found your website while seeking for some thing distinct on Google about topics related to movies, but I had the opportunity to read this posting and I found it very helpful indeed
Hi, I apologize for asking this request here, but I am not ableto find a contact form or something so I thought I leave my enquiry here. I run a blogengine blog but I am receiving large amounts of spam. I see u use wordpress, is it simpler to control spam with wordpress or doesnt it make any difference? I hope you will respond to my comment or maybe send me an email with your answer if you dont want to approve the comment. Best regards, Annie
Christa Avampato 
YES — I realized that I needed to take a break from studying for the final exams for yoga teacher training and also practicing my flow for my first public class. So awesome to hear you explain why this break that I intuitively knew was important is so important. I also took a blog break. I am enjoying my time on the mat now without always thinking about what I need to learn from this or incorporate into my eventual teaching. I am allowing myself time to juts be and as I ‘talk’ about yoga or anatomy with others am astounded by how much I really do know. Namaste xoxo
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It’s so important to give ourselves a break. It’s a practice we need much more often.
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I found your website while seeking for some thing distinct on Google about topics related to movies, but I had the opportunity to read this posting and I found it very helpful indeed
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Hi, I apologize for asking this request here, but I am not ableto find a contact form or something so I thought I leave my enquiry here. I run a blogengine blog but I am receiving large amounts of spam. I see u use wordpress, is it simpler to control spam with wordpress or doesnt it make any difference? I hope you will respond to my comment or maybe send me an email with your answer if you dont want to approve the comment. Best regards, Annie
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