Month: March 2017

creativity

In the pause: Balance the two kinds of happiness

Christa Avampato

There are two kinds of happiness: the one that comes from instant gratification and the one that comes from the slow slog toward a desired goal. The first makes us happy in the here and now, but it usually doesn’t last long. The second makes us happy when viewed through the arc of life but in the here and now can be difficult and uncomfortable. I’ve found that I need a good balance of both to truly feel good about life.

Art, music, good food, time with my friends, my dog, and working out are all things that make me immediately happy. Writing, working on my entrepreneurial ideas, and learning something new that I’m not yet particularly good at fall into that second bucket. It’s not that I don’t get any joy from them in the near-term; it’s just that to feel truly happy about them I need to look at them through a longer lens and with a goal in mind.

Knowing about this balance helps me figure out how to allocate my time, effort, and energy to be happy at this moment and to ensure I’m happy down the line, too.

creativity

In the pause: The gift of time

Christa Avampato

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainty.” ~Erich Fromm

I was handed a gift. I didn’t know it was a gift at the time. It was packaged in something that wasn’t so lovely but when I opened it up and looked inside, I realized it was priceless. That gift is time—time to dream, to write, to dare to do something bold and brave and needed. I hesitated for just a moment right before taking the gift. I could feel the weight of it, the responsibility of it, because it is so rare and desired by so many others. And I plan to make good on it. I plan to use this time wisely and wonderfully to make this world a better place. The sun’s shining; I am madly making hay and smiling all the way.

creativity

In the pause: Be beautiful you

Christa Avampato

“She woke up every morning with the option of being anyone she wished. How beautiful it was that she always chose herself.” ~Tyler Kent White

There is something so beautiful about people who choose authenticity, who are exactly who they are in every setting, with every person, every time. It feels good to be with these people. They make us want to live out loud.

As you go through life, I hope you find these people, hold them close, and let yourself follow their example. Be who you are. Life is too short and too precious to waste your time trying to be anyone else. And the world needs you, exactly as you are, right now. Surround yourself with people and in settings that appreciate everything that you are and everything that you have to offer. Don’t settle for anything less.

creativity

In the pause: You are in bloom

Christa Avampato

“Don’t be so scared. My love, this is how you bloom.” ~ Evan Sanders, The Better Man Project

The process of becoming is uncomfortable, even painful. It requires so much stretching and reaching and growing. In the short-term, it feels safer and easier to keep our dreams and spirits small. Over time, that safety, ease, and comfort have a hefty price tag; they rob us of who we’re meant to be and the goals we’re meant to reach.

I’m in the midst of a big leap now. And though I didn’t choose the timing, I did choose the path. I put the wish out into the world, and the world responded. The response wasn’t what I expected but it did open the way that I needed to make my path a reality.

And so, here we go. Onto the twisting, uncharted road where I can only see just a few feet in front of me. I know the very next step, but not the one after that. Sometimes the fear, uncertainty, and stress feel overwhelming. And at those times, there’s always someone who says, “You’re going to be okay.” So I keep going. And blooming. I hope you will, too.

 

creativity

In the pause: Be here now

Christa Avampato

I knew the Year of the Rooster would be a wild one. But I didn’t have any idea what wild meant until these past few weeks. So much is shifting and changing. Every day I’m on a roller coaster doing my best to hang on and stay flexible. Just when I feel like I’m at my breaking point, I take a deep breath, call a friend, and find my center again. And so it goes. And so we go. One day, one moment, one heartbeat at a time. More than ever, I’m learning to be present and fierce. I’m learning what a gift it is to love and be loved and to smile. I’m learning that profound change can find any of us at any time. Be here now. That’s the only work we need to do.

creativity

In the pause: Don’t stumble over something behind you

Christa Avampato

“Don’t stumble over something behind you.” ~Seneca

Whenever I’m faced with something disappointing, I feel is deeply and and immediately. I strip out that phase of denial and move right into grief. While grief is a painful, my willingness to feel every ounce of it jumpstarts the healing process. Grief is a lens I use to refocus my energy and get clear about what I need and want. It’s not fun, but it’s necessary. The great benefit of this brutal process is that once it’s done, it’s done. I don’t look back; I let it go and move forward. I have many times in my life that I’m glad I’ll never repeat, and I’m also grateful for all of the learnings that those times held. They have given me empathy, strength, and courage, three of the things I value most.

 

creativity

In the pause: Train travel with strangers

Christa Avampato

Someday, I’m going to get on a train, sit in the cafe car, and travel across the country with a random and revolving set of travel partners. I’ll just sit down and see who sits down across from me. I’ll learn about aspects of their life stories in the snippets of the time we have together and then I’ll write about it. My guess is that we have far more that binds us together than separates us from one another. We’re all on Team Human, right?

creativity

In the pause: Invest in love

Christa Avampato

“Keep loving people. It’s the antidote to all that afflicts us.” ~ John Pavlovitz

I am holding this thought in my mind more and more as time goes on. With all that is swirling in my own world and the world at-large, I am focused now more than ever on love. It’s the energy that heals and comforts. It’s the force that binds us together, and being together is our greatest asset toward progress in all realms. Hang in there, friends, and hang in there together.

creativity

In the pause: Healing takes time

Christa Avampato

Friends, I have had a rough week. One of the roughest I’ve ever had. Truly. I have been struggling mightily on so many fronts that at one point, I could feel the walls closing in on me. There were a lot of triggering events and I felt like I was descending back down into the scary tunnel of my PTSD from many years ago. I couldn’t sleep or eat for almost 3 days. Eventually, somewhere deep down in the depths of my soul, something began to rise through all the sadness and fear and noise. It was my power. It was my voice.

Your power and your voice are always there. Always. I know it can be difficult to hear them. I know that pain stands up and demands to be recognized. And I know that healing takes time. But you will heal. Be kind to yourself. Be on your own side. Be your own best advocate. Be fierce. Know your truth, and don’t let anyone else tell you who you are. You know you. You be you. Because you are so much more than enough. It takes time to know that, too. Take the time. It’s worth it.

creativity

In the pause: Things have to fall apart to come together

Christa Avampato

Whenever something doesn’t work out the way we planned, we can feel cheated, disappointed, and sad. But what if we could look at our new situation from a different angle? What if things not going how we planned is the best thing that ever happened to us? What if that opens the way for things to go better than we ever imagined possible? Let’s try to manifest that and see what happens. Sometimes things have to fall apart to come together.