I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
Time hasn’t passed you by. Your time is right now, today. Grab hold of it and mold it exactly the way you want it to be. Life unfolds exactly the way that it’s supposed to unfold and the timing of it isn’t your responsibility. Give your best, do your best, and live your best in this and every moment. Do that, and the timing will take care of itself.
“What should I do now?” It’s a daunting question. There are so many options; so many different paths I want to explore. I’m struggling to balance my curiosity and focus. This idea has helped: just add good things one at a time. And while you’re at it remove bad things one at a time. Suddenly, life just got a lot more fun and a lot less scary. What good thing will you add to your life today?
I encourage authenticity in all people, and their right to make every choice that is right for them. It took me a long time to be proud of who I am at my core. I:
Love children and love love though I know the traditional family set up isn’t for me;
Grew up without enough and learned that I am enough;
Believe equally in the ancient wisdom of yoga and modern technology;
Am a New Yorker who lives in peace;
Am petite in stature and bold in personality;
Believe I have to be prepared to be lucky;
Have a plan and can let it go;
Am tough and fair, kind with a fierce sense of justice.
Who are you, contradictions and all? I’d love to hear from you!
At some point we’ve all said to ourselves, “Take what you can get. Something is better than nothing.” Take the volume on that train of thought and turn it down to zero. Better yet, kick it to the curb and let it stay there, as far away from you as possible. Your time, mind, heart, and talent have an infinite amount of value. Don’t let anyone or anything make you think differently.
“Stay away from those boxes,” said Alec Horinman, my leadership professor from my MBA program at Darden. It was a phrase he often repeated in class and one he recently sent to me when I wrote him to let him know how much his teaching influenced my career and life everyday. The boxes Alec refers to are: the boxes we put ourselves into, the boxes others put us into, and the boxes we put around others.
Boxes are tempting. They give us order, comfort, and predictability. With boxes, we can stop thinking because we’ve already passed judgement. But they’re dangerous. They close us off to possibility, change, and growth. I’d rather take comfort in possibility, change, and growth. They are the things we can really count on.
Put away the boxes. Better yet, burn them. You don’t need them, nor do you need anyone who’s intent on using them.
Here’s my game plan for life: I’m always prepared for the new. New people, places, experiences, ideas, points-of-view, opportunities. My life doesn’t go according to plan; it goes according to heart.
No matter what happens in my life, I plan to hustle as long as I have breath. It has nothing to do with being unhappy with what I have. If anything it’s because I’m so grateful for what I have. Hustling keeps me humble. It reminds me that what I have can evaporate in the blink of an eye. The hustle keeps me active and diligent. The hustle shows me that no matter how far I go, there’s always more road ahead.
I was waiting for things to settle down and get back to the way they used to be until I realized that every experience fundamentally changes us. Time marches on and we have to march with it. I’m grateful for this because it makes every moment, every day, special and unique. Storms may turn our world upside down but they also show us who we are and what we’re made of. They are part of the wild ride of Life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote lately as I restructure my life and career this summer. My focus is to learn from my experience, understand where I am, and proceed with courage and faith exactly in the direction I want to go.
We don’t have to wait for a new year or even a new day to make a change. We’re afforded the opportunity at every moment to turn it all around. Thanks for the reminder, New York City street art.
Christa Avampato 