Author: Christa Avampato

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~Goethe

9 years ago, my former boss and always mentor, Bob G., sent me this quote. And since that day, its truth consistently rings in my mind. Once I decide to do something, against any odds and without any thought of turning back, the way opens.

A few weeks ago, I went through a tough disappointment and backed out of buying a condo for very sound and very unfortunate reasons. In the following weeks, I realized that I what I really wanted was a house, a whole house, not a condo. In D.C., that will take a lot more money and a lot more saving. Undeterred by the bigger price tag, I put myself on an aggressive savings plan. Some might say it is an impossible plan, and at the time, it absolutely was. I actually had no idea how I was going to hit that savings goal by the end of the year. Rather than shy away from it, I just decided to figure it out.

Then a strange thing started to happen: I began to get pings for new and interesting contract work that is completely doable (and fun!) in my free time. I couldn’t have foreseen any of these occurrence. I didn’t event know they were options.

Commit to a goal, and the universe rises up.

We can hold so many emotions at once without compromising any of them. Yesterday I was relieved, heartbroken, and joyful. I was relieved that my move is complete. I was heartbroken by the hateful and despicable tragedy in Orlando. I was joyful and inspired watching the Tony Awards with the incredible breadth of talent and passion that art and artists hold. It’s one of the most marvelous things about life—we can feel everything if we open our hearts and minds to the world around us and the people we meet. The show goes on, and on, and on. And so do we.

I started packing up my apartment this weekend to get ready for my move on Friday. I’m excited about my new home, adopting a second dog, and learning a new neighborhood as well as I know my current one.

And then a funny thing happened yesterday. I started to get nervous, really nervous. I was worried I was running out of time, supplies, and energy. So I sat down, right in the middle of my packing supplies, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. And another and another. Phineas and Otis climbed into my lap. When I opened my eyes, things looked different. I had made progress.

Moving is stressful. My job’s stressful. I’m tired. I’m worried about so many things, moving-related and otherwise. I just got overwhelmed by all of it. It’s going to be okay. I’ll get it all done. I’ll figure it out. And in the mean time, I’ll just keep breathing.

“Imagine your life 3 or 6 months from now. It looks better,” said my friend, Alex, who always knows exactly what to say when I’m having a tough day. I often call her when I’m at a loss and just don’t know what to do or how to think or feel about something.

I felt that way this week, and she repeated this advice to me again. She’s right. She’s always right. No matter what’s upsetting me, chances are I won’t even remember that it happened a few months from now. This day will likely fade into the distance as unremarkable, and what seems like such a big deal today will be completely insignificant by then.

After Alex gave me that advice, I instantly felt better. The future does look sunny. I got through my day holding my head a little higher, standing a little taller, and feeling a little lighter. I hope you do, too.