“All the work worth doing is about taking the long way.” ~Seth Godin
I always look for shortcuts, ways to get twice as much done in half the amount of time. I’m ridiculously impatient with myself, and many times that serves me because it forces me to make the most of every opportunity and maximize my creativity. But when I’ve been forced to take the long way, when no other way was possible, I’ve never regretted it. I tried to enjoy the view and stay open to what may happen that I had never planned. The long way, while never preferable for me at the outset, has always ended up being a blessing because it took me in directions I never knew existed. The next time your route feels more circuitous rather than a direct shot, take a beat and look around. Every step along the path has a lesson. Take it and use it.
THE END. I just typed these two words on the (very, very, very) rough first draft of my first novel, Where the Light Enters. There will be many rounds of revisions ahead, but I’m excited to have this first pass done. I plan to revel in this feeling through the holidays and then pick it back up in January to begin the long process of rewriting. For now, I’m happy to say the story and the act of writing it changed me for the better. It gave me confidence and faith that with love we can do what we think is impossible. Thank you to so many of you who supported this journey. We’re just getting started!
“In every job that must be done there’s an element of fun. Find the fun and *snap* the job’s a game.” ~Mary Poppins
As we are winding down the festivities of the week, and heading into the hectic holiday and year-end season, we might find our heads spinning. When I feel myself getting overwhelmed, particularly if I’m overwhelmed with tasks that are less-than-glamorous, I think of Mary Poppins and the way she lightened everything during difficult times.
Every day, we must do things that are difficult, things that don’t seem fun on the surface. But if we can find even a small element of fun—a co-worker who makes us laugh, something to learn, or puzzle to solve—then the task becomes a little easier. Find the fun, and the job is halfway done.
At our darkest hour, we need protection and this week’s news has shown us that too many people in this world don’t have any. Too many people have been rendered powerlessness, their voices held hostage by institutions that bill themselves as just and moral though in reality are anything but. While so many people in the news this week, many right in our own country, have been left powerless, I am not. There are countless ways that I can show my support and be a part of the solution. I can help, and I will. Knowing that I can is what’s getting me through this week, tears and all. My sense of hope is still intact.
That’s a wrap! For the first time, I participated in and completed National Novel Writing Month. Yesterday I did what I set out to do and crossed the 50K word mark of my novel, Where the Light Enters before the end of November. I still have a few thousand more to go to make a complete (and incredibly rough) first draft which I’ll finish in the next couple of days. For now, I’m so happy that I reached the most auspicious writing goal I’ve ever set for myself, and a week ahead of schedule to boot! Emerson Page lives and breathes, and I’m so glad to have her in my life.
As we round the corner to the final month of 2014, I’m taking stock of every area of my life. I’m not sure where it’s all heading or what 2015 will bring, but I do know this: I am resolved to keep my head up and my heart open to new possibilities. Right now, nothing is off the table. There will come a time for sorting and deciding but now it’s time to shake the trees. I’m prepared for surprise at every turn. I’ll do my best to enjoy the (very uncertain) ride.
When you feel like the world is trying to bury you beneath hardship, disappointment, and frustration, remember this: you are a miraculous being, a seed. With a little time, a little care, and a little light, you will make great things happen. Believe.
What we do with our days is of course what we do with our lives. I used to think that crossroads were a few times in a lifetime experience. Now I see that my whole life is a daily series of a crossroads, especially as an entrepreneur and a writer.Some crossroads are larger than others. Certain times of year, like the end-of-year holidays, magnify them.
At the moment, I’m at a pretty significant crossroads in every area of my life. Moving to a new city, and subsequently setting up a new life, brings everything into question because life literally becomes a blank slate. All my old habits and patterns are gone. I could start something completely brand new, re-jigger what I’ve already got, or continue along the same path in a new way.
I don’t have any definitive answers yet, but I do have three key questions that I’m spending a lot of time with now. If you’re in this same place, I hope the following questions help you, too:
1.) Internal question: Look in. Take money out of the equation; we’ll put it back in later. What would make you excited to hop out of bed in the morning and get going?
2.) External question: Look out. What’s happening in your city that sounds like something you’d like to be a part of? Whether it’s a community of hobbyists of some kind, a certain activity, or a place where people come together, what’s already there that you could build onto rather than starting alone completely from scratch? If there’s already a conversation happening, or a group of people have assembled around a particular interest, then there’s some indication that there’s already some level o forward momentum that you can leverage.
3.) Blended question: Move the two answers above toward one another. Where’s the overlap? Where’s the disconnect? The answer I’m looking for lies not in the internal, nor the external, but where the two come together.
Like the start of a new relationship, the start of a life in a new city (or even in your same city) is filled with a jumble of feelings: trepidation, confusion, excitement, joy, and uncertainty. Let the wild ideas flow. Building is messy, but it’s also fun. Enjoy the ride.
A few days ago, I wrote the most difficult scene in my novel. It was difficult to write because it has to raise the stakes of Emerson Page, the heroine, to a level that cause her life to change forever. While I was writing it, I kept thinking of Haruki Murakami’s beautiful quote about the reason for storms:
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
All the storms of our lives have a purpose. Some show us how strong we are. Others show us what we care about and how much. And others are just there to show us how wonderful life can be when the storm has passed. Whatever the reason, they all matter, and the goal isn’t simply to survive, but to thrive in their aftermath and delight in what remains.
If you’re facing storms now, and who among us isn’t?, I hope you find some comfort in the idea that no matter what the reason for your particular storm, there is something to learn. It may be buried deep; you may not see the learning until the skies brighten again. But it’s there; like the sun and the moon and the stars, it’s always there.
Christa Avampato 