Month: August 2016

creativity

Wonder: Your example is everything – a lesson from Paulo Coelho

Christa Avampato

“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” ~Paulo Coelho

I listened to Krista Tippett interview Paulo Coelho this week. I was struck by the sadness of his early life followed by the triumph of his success as a writer and philosopher. What surprised and inspired me most, was his lack of bitterness. Not once did he sound like he felt sorry for himself, even when he was raw and honest about his brutal childhood. It made me look at his beautiful prose in a whole new light. His stories come from within. He doesn’t think the world owes him anything. He’s not afraid to love. He doesn’t look to anyone or anything external to define him. There is a sparkle to him that comes through in every word, in every medium. To me, he is the prime example of a life well-lived and well-loved.

creativity

Wonder: Take a chance

Christa Avampato

I love this piece in the New York Times about taking chances. The bottom line is we don’t take enough of them. We’re so likely to coast, content to be comfortable with routine even if we’re unhappy. We worry about what it would take to make a big change, even one we’ve always wanted to make. We have to toss away fear and embrace the risk of falling flat on our face, in front of everyone, and then we have to get up again and look everyone in the eye. Sends a shiver down your spine, doesn’t it?

And I say, “Do it anyway.” Go out there right now, into the world, and do exactly what you want to do. Don’t settle, don’t shrink, and don’t take the easy way out. Do what’s difficult for no other reason than because it’s what you want to do. You’ll find that everyone who really matters is cheering you on, and you will inspire them to follow their own journey of impossibility. You can do this.

creativity

Wonder: How to know what someone’s like

Christa Avampato

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ~J.K. Rowling

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we really get to know who someone is. A few of my friends have recently come to terms with discovering that people they thought they knew they actually don’t know at all. When you are authentic and straightforward, you think everyone else is, too. And sadly, that’s not always the case. So how do you get an accurate read? How can you tell, as early as possible, if someone is actually presenting themselves honestly? JKR gives us some very solid advice in this quote. Don’t look at how they treat their friends or their boss. Pay attention to how they treat people on the street. How do they talk to children? What are they like with animals? And especially pay attention to how they treat people in customer service – at a store, restaurant, or bar. Good or bad, those observations speak volumes about someone’s character that they will never tell you themselves.

creativity

Wonder: Olympic inspiration from Under Armour

Christa Avampato

We aren’t Olympians but we can carry that spirit in everything we do. Under Armour started a marketing campaign a few months ago that features Olympic athletes. It shows pieces of the daily routines of Olympians and ends with the tagline “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you into the light. #Ruleyourself. #Iwill.”

Though we aren’t Olympic athletes, that discipline and determination can inspire us on whatever our chosen path is. It’s about the hustle. It’s about finding what we love and going for it with every ounce of effort and energy we have. It’s about finding the focus and courage to take us from good to great to unstoppable. The world doesn’t owe us anything; our future is in our hands. Use them to build the life you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDM1FPFxbVk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9jAD1ofm4

creativity

Wonder: A heart that belongs in two places—D.C. and NYC

Christa Avampato

I love my life in D.C. I feel lucky every day that I walk out my door and see the Capitol building. It inspires me. It’s an easy city to live and work in. I’ve been blessed, and continue to blessed, my incredible opportunities at every turn. And loads of wonderful friends. I am lucky to make my home here now.

And yesterday I had my first New York City pang. Just one and it was small. I saw a mention of Riverside Park and I was transported back to the Upper West Side, a neighborhood I called my home for seven years. It was my dream neighborhood. And I thought about the breeze off the Hudson as it floats over Riverside Park. It’s where I adopted Phineas. It’s where some of my very best friends still live. I was, and remain, a New Yorker to the core.

And then I had to remember that I was in love with a New York City that is largely no longer there. I’m in love with the place that New York had in my life and the lessons it taught me. And what was there now, what will always be there, is its energy and all those memories. Those are always worth revisiting. I suspect it’s time for a visit soon. I need a fix from the homeland.

My dream life has always been a life in which I could split my time between these two amazing cities that are so different and yet also have so much in common. I am a ways off from there but I continue to believe in its possibility.

creativity

Wonder: The fish rots or thrives from the head down

Christa Avampato

The fish rots, or thrives, from the head down. The trouble with leaving a poor work environment with very poor leadership, which I recently did, is that you have to go through some recovery and detox time.

Yesterday, the red line of the metro was slow and I got to work about 15 minutes later than I would have liked because of the delay. I apologized to my current boss for my delay, and she said, “Don’t ever apologize for that. That is not the realm we work in. Our only goal is to build cool products that help people. That’s our focus.” I was astounded.

I’m still in a bit of a detox mode from my last job. But I’m slowly but surely coming out of it thanks to my new, wonderful job, and a boss who is a 180 degree difference from my last boss. I’m glad to be in a place that is so focused on thriving and supporting its people. Competent leadership makes a world of difference.

creativity

Wonder: Doing what you’re meant to do

Christa Avampato

What an exciting night at the Olympic Games! Swimming and gymnastics are two of my favorite sports to watch. I love the passion and the split between individual performance and team achievement. It is an incredible pleasure to watch people striving for greatness, to see them doing exactly what they’re meant to do, what they’ve trained so hard to accomplish. No matter what we love, no matter where we find greatest happiness, let’s do it in that spirit—to put in so much effort, energy, and love that our success is inevitable.

creativity

Wonder: Don’t stay the same

Christa Avampato

“Longevity means we have to evolve. We have to be able to change.” ~Wolfgang Puck

In a few weeks, my latest piece for The Washington Post is going to be published. It’s an interview with a young man my age who had three strokes within a week. over our hour-long conversation, I was in awe of his strength and courage.

His final statement to me, and the final line in the piece is something that I have not been able to shake. This young man still deals with legacy issues from his strokes. He’s unable to work, he is often tired, and he has memory issues. After almost two years, his doctors told him that he may never fully recover. He may never be exactly the way he was before the strokes. Rather than feel sorry for himself, he said, “That’s okay. I don’t want to be the way I was before. I want to be better.”

His willingness to change and be changed by his experience has brought him this far. I have no doubt that he is poised to go so much further. If the ability to evolve indeed leads to longevity, then this man has a long life ahead of him.

creativity

Wonder: The miracle of being where you are right now

Christa Avampato

“The miracle is that we are here, that no matter how undone we’ve been the night before, we wake up every morning and are still here. It is phenomenal just to be.” ~Anne Lamott, Stitches

Have you ever noticed the perspective that comes with sleep? We can feel agitated, angry, anxious, and upset, and the next morning we have the chance to try again. Getting back up after being knocked down isn’t easy. It doesn’t always feel good. There are times that we wonder why we even continue to try. And I’ve found that there is something powerful and empowering in the act of rising, head up, eyes ahead. I literally narrow my eyes, drop the tone of my voice, take a deep breath, and will myself to speak up and take action.

The chance to try again, every day, is a gift. And it is ours to use.

creativity

Wonder: The Breaking Bread Podcast get social

Christa Avampato

My new podcast has its social media pages set up. I’d love to have you follow along. As always, if you have ideas for guests who are either based in or visiting DC for a special project, please let me know.

Website: https://breakingbreadpodcast.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakingbreadpodcastdc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreakingBreadDC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakingbreadpodcast/