Category: adventure

adventure, art, books, creativity, story, writer, writing

Inspired: If we keep writing, the pieces will snap together

Christa Avampato
One of the pictures from my Pinterest board that inspires Emerson Page.
One of the pictures from my Pinterest board that inspires Emerson Page.

“Early on, all our movies suck. Saying that in a softer way fails to convey how bad the first versions really are. Pixar films are not good at first, and our job is to make them so–to go ‘from suck to not-suck’.” ~ Ed Catmull, President of Pixar

I’ve been working through my story plan checklist for my novel, Where the Light Enters. I’ve got lists, notes, index cards, links, and photos that I’m using for inspiration. What seemed like a lot of disparate pieces are now gelling together, and the story barely resembles the original idea. To make this progress, I had to stay open to possibilities, remain aware of new information that could help move the story forward, and begin to share bits and pieces of ideas with others to get their feedback. You can be part of the process and follow Emerson Page, the heroine of Where the Light Enters, on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. She’s loved to talk to you.

 

 

adventure, books, determination, dreams

Inspired: Mind the gap between where you are and where you want to be

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

Big dreams inspire and terrify, usually at the same time. I often look at where I want to go from where I am, and all that runs through my mind is, “Well how the hell am I going to get up there?” I search around the base of the vertical mountain and eventually I find a foothold. It’s small, but solid, so there’s my first step. From that slightly elevated view, I find another small place to grip and pull myself one inch higher. This is how the journey of every big dream goes: many small bits of progress taken one at a time. The key is to get started right now and not give up. Concentrate on each small win and the greater journey will take shape in its own way and in its own time. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” 

action, adventure, change

Inspired: Don’t wait until you’re ready

Christa Avampato

“Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it.” ~Amy Poehler

Lately I’ve been feeling the tug of big life changes. I recognize their knock at the door and I’ve resisted answering for a bit because I felt like I wasn’t quite ready. This week the knock has grown louder and shouted, “I’m not going away so you might as well answer.” And I did, and the message was simple: “It doesn’t matter if you’re ready or not. You’re capable, and you’ll make the best of everything that comes your way. And where there isn’t opportunity, you’ll make it. Have a little faith in you.” Then all I felt was a huge sigh of relief. And I smiled: a big, wide, knowing, peaceful smile. There’s a great, big, beautiful, blank canvas out there just waiting for me and no one can paint it except me. Ready or not (and capable!), here I come!

action, adventure, dreams

Inspired: How far will you dare to go?

Christa Avampato

Last week when I announced that Compass Yoga would dissolve after 4 years of helping students and teachers access and teach community yoga classes, a friend sent me this quote. I printed it out to hang at my desk. I expect to read it many times over in this new chapter of my life and career as a full-time writer. If you are also about to embark on a path that is both thrilling and frightening, I hope this quote bolsters you up as you design and pursue your own daring adventure.

“The credit belongs to the [woman] who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends herself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if she fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

action, adventure, creativity, passion

Inspired: Oprah on the work of finding your calling

Christa Avampato

“We’re all called. If you’re here breathing, you have a contribution to make to our human community. The real work of your life is to figure out your function—your part in the whole—as soon as possible, and then get about the business of fulfilling it as only you can.” ~ Oprah

Somewhere along the way our society decided it was best to be practical rather than passionate, that we had to be much more concerned with the path of least resistance rather that the path that made us feel alive. It became obsessed with back-up plans rather than making and following the plan that made us excited to get out of bed in the morning.

To hell with those ideas.

If all we ever are is practical, then what kind of world will we have? We’ll become a community of people who blindly follows, who buries their collective heads in the sand and does what they’re told. No thank you. I’d prefer not to. I’ll take the hard knocks and the tough lessons and the massive disappointments that sometimes must be faced in order to go out on the edge and see what I can actually do and make and see. The only work we need to do is find that thing that fills us up—body, mind, and spirit. That’s our calling. We all have one. The fun of life, and its meaning, is to find that calling, to pick it up and carry it forward. That’s why we’re here. That’s what I care most about: that you, me, and everyone else finds what they’re called to do and then makes it happen. That’s what the world needs.

action, adventure, career, choices, decision-making, determination, future, time, work

Inspired: Bet on yourself

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

Sometimes the universe tests your commitment before it decides to back you. It’ll bet on you only after you bet on yourself.

I had just finished a call with my friend, Sheldon, about my decision to carve my own career path when an email popped into my inbox. The startup that offered me a job that I declined emailed me with a new offer that is exactly the role I asked for during the interview process. After I turned down the previous offer, I made the decision to build my own dreams rather build someone else’s. This offer tested my resolve. Without batting an eye, I thanked the startup and told them about my choice to double down on my own ideas and projects. The gut always knows and for the first time, I listened to it unequivocally.

Clarity about our own abilities and the value of our time radically simplifies our decision process. I know the road ahead of me will be rocky. There will be bumps, bangs, and bruises, and I will learn from every single one of them. I’ll be stronger, braver, and more capable for taking this path. I know that my future is safest in my own two hands. Yours is, too. Believe it. Your time is finite; your potential isn’t. Bet on you.

action, adventure, career, dreams

Inspired: Why I Decided to Stop Consulting

Christa Avampato

“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” ― Dhirubhai Ambani, Against All Odds: A Story of Courage, Perseverance and Hope

I’ve decided to stop consulting. When I left my corporate job at American Express over 2 years ago, I started my consulting firm, Chasing Down the Muse, to provide my business know-how to help nonprofits and for-profit companies build a better world and to formalize my freelance writing and yoga teaching. The writing and teaching has been phenomenal. The consulting has been a mixed bag. Increasingly, I grew frustrated because I spent most of my time working on my clients’ dreams and not my own.

After much deliberation, I’m pivoting. I’ve decided to complete my consulting work with my current clients and to not take on any additional ones. I did well financially as a consultant, but it’s not the best use of my passions. (For the record, I think consulting is a fine gig; it’s just not the right one for me.) I will continue and expand my freelance writing, content development, voice over work, and teaching. I also plan to continue to advise, partner with, and invest in young businesses.

This pivot is scary, though I’ve learned that the best way to overcome any fear is to do exactly the thing that frightens me. Once we do what frightens us, we’re free from the fear. The best thing I’ve done in the past two years is write, direct, and produce my play, Sing After Storms, at New York City’s Thespis Theater Festival. It reminded me how much I love taking an original idea from concept to launch with a creative, collaborative group of people. I want to get back to this kind of work full-time so I’m taking the leap again and going after exactly the career I want, fear and all!

In the coming days, I’ll be writing about and ramping up each of my new projects. I can’t wait to share the details with you. Are you taking a big leap, too? I’d love to hear about it, and support it!

action, adventure, career, creativity, future

Inspired: Hello, Clarity!

Christa Avampato
Elsa from Frozen ("Let It Go")
Elsa from Frozen (“Let It Go”)

“It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small…I didn’t know what I could do until I tried.” -Elsa from Frozen

I’ve been away from New York City on an extended holiday to spend time with my family and figure out how I want the rest of my year to take shape. 3 weeks did the trick; I woke up certain and clear of my next few steps. They involve a lot of learning, a bit of traveling, and a boatload of writing, creating, and building. After months of limbo, it feels amazing to have arrived here more sure than ever that this is the way forward for me. Stick around – this is going to be a fun adventure!

adventure, community, freedom

Inspired: Adventure is everywhere

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

It takes a lot of courage to give away a piece of yourself to others. In that way, each interaction we have is an adventure. There’s something to lose, something to gain, and something to risk when you wear your heart on your sleeve. Be an adventurer; live your passions out loud. They’ve freed you so take a chance and share them in the hopes that they will inspire others to free themselves.

action, adventure, choices, faith

Inspired: Make the leap

Christa Avampato

From PinterestEventually, the only choice is to leap. You will have to trust, yourself and others, if you want to fulfill your potential. There’s no need to wait or try another alternative. Go for exactly what you want. Take a deep breath and know that you can handle whatever happens next.