Category: adventure

adventure, California

Beautiful: I’m Going For It

Christa Avampato

Let the adventures begin. California, here I come! c8559df77db82f140b70d7973800a93c

adventure, blog, photographs, pictures, writing

Beautiful: My Blog is Going on Summer Vacation, Too

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

Occasionally, a leopard can change its spots. A Christa in New York can become a Christa in Los Angeles, at least for a little while. We can break patterns. We can do things differently. We can evolve.

Last week, my friends Susan and Richard shared a post from the New York Times that discussed how technology is helping us connect and leaving us feeling lonely. We get absorbed into our screens at the expense of looking people in the eye. I’ve fought hard against the argument that all of our connecting is causing us to become disconnected but I couldn’t refute the points made by the post’s author, Jonathan Safran Foer.

Have I fallen victim to this trend? Maybe. And that answer scares me. This summer I’m going to spend more time connecting, less time connected. This blog will take on a different shape to support that effort so that I can spend more time in the world and more time on my personal writing projects. As someone who thinks in words, I’m trying to improve my visual skills and this blog will support that goal, too. I’m going to attempt to chart my summer in pictures with a couple of lines of text thrown in to record the a-ha moments. The joy. The happiness. The peace. The clarity. The adventure. The world as I see it with my eyes and not through the filters of online information.

Each day, I’ll try to post one photo that perfectly captures what that day means to me. Some will be pictures I take. Some will be pictures I find. And it’s all TBD…

adventure, travel

Beautiful: You Don’t Always Need to Know Where You’re Going

Christa Avampato

photoWith our smartphones in-hand, we rarely get lost thanks to the advent of Google Maps. I have a horrible sense of direction and I remember the days of printing out Mapquest directions so I wouldn’t waste valuable time wandering around aimlessly. Many times they didn’t help. I spent a lot of time wandering around, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I get a little wistful for those days. I had some of the most extraordinary adventures when I was completely lost.

This summer when I’m in Santa Monica, I plan to spend some of that time sans map. I hope to get delightfully (and safely) lost, and then find my way back to the light. In the immortal words of J. R. R. Tolkien, “Not all those who wander are lost.”

adventure, beauty, opportunity, time

Beautiful: Everyday Celebrations

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

If you replaced the cat in this photo with a fuzzy dachshund, this would be me and Phin. Everyday we celebrate something. Even if it’s just the sunshine. Even if it’s a rainy day that let’s us stay in and enjoy some serious R&R. Sometimes, it’s a trip to someplace exciting. Most of the time it’s just the miracle of being alive and in good health.

It’s so easy to let life get us down. Things don’t always go our way. Most of the time, they never work out exactly as we expect or want them to. But in 37 years I’ve learned that I can’t fight life. It unfolds in its own way, in its own time. The mystery of its inner workings is not for me to control, but rather something for me to be curious about. Everyday celebrations remind me that even in the midst of difficulty, there’s always a little light.

adventure, creative, curiosity, imagination

Beautiful: Where the Wildest Things Are

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.” ~ George Eliot, British writer

I love the movie, Hugo. I was hooked when I saw the preview and Hugo asks Isabelle, “Do you want to have an adventure?” I couldn’t think of a more perfect question to ask a friend! Curiosity brings people together.

We often think of adventures as travels to far-flung sites around the globe, escapades into places that are strange, new, and even a little risky. But the greatest adventures lie not “out there somewhere” but within. They are in our imaginations. There we will find fantastical worlds that no one has even dared to dream of yet, much less build. Our creativity knows no bounds. It doesn’t limit itself. If we close our eyes, turn our attention to the breath, and tap in, we can go anywhere.

That’s my kind of adventure.

adventure, beauty, risk

Beautiful: The Treasure Trove Outside Our Comfort Zone

Christa Avampato

f814d9128ac6fdcab3af3031120cb10bStaying in our comfort zone feels so good. We know where everything is and we know how it all works. We have every confidence that we can succeed in our comfort zone and it doesn’t take that much effort.

But it won’t help us know how far we can go. It won’t give us a sense of our edge, nor of our potential. In our comfort zone we’ll never know just how much we can love and we’ll never know all of the beauty that lies within us.

The journey into the unknown, guided only by our intuition, is not easy. We get confused and lost. We sometimes feel unsteady and unsure. But what we learn is self-reliance and strength and courage. We find out what we’re really made of and what matters most. Out there, we have the opportunity to impact the lives of so many others. In that wonderfully complex and diverse world, we discover what’s possible. Go have an adventure!

adventure, choices, experience, faith, time

Beautiful: All Beginnings Are Hazy. Don’t Let That Scare You.

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Beginnings are apt to be shadowy.” ~ Rachel Carson, American marine biologist, conservationist, and author of Silent Spring

We have such a strong desire to know what’s next before we leap. It’s understandable; the unknown is frightening. We don’t know what to expect and it’s difficult to prepare when we don’t know exactly what we’re facing. Panic sets it. We freeze and wait for more information.

Although I thought I knew what I was getting in to before I’ve taken any of my leaps, in my career and in my life, the truth is that what seemed to be sure wasn’t really sure at all. Sometimes things didn’t pan out as I expected, and sometimes that was a wonderful thing. Sometimes, it wasn’t. Sometimes, I faltered and lost my footing. Many times I fell, and then I got back up.

When I look back on those leaps that led me to land in a place that was entirely different from what I expected, I am grateful for my ignorance. I am grateful that I didn’t have all the answers. If I had, I may have never taken those leaps at all. And in the end, they were all worth it because they led me to where I am, a place I am so glad to be.

In the past, I worked very hard to collect what information I could and based my decision on that information. To be honest, the information I collected wasn’t all that valuable. All that time I spent waiting to make a decision didn’t yield much except lost time. In the end, my gut always new what to do when I would invariably get myself in a bind. It didn’t need all the answers; it just needed me to have faith in…me.

Now, I’m getting better at trusting my gut from the start. One thing I can always be certain of is my gut’s ability to do what is best for me. And I’ve learned to trust in my own abilities to handle any circumstance, predicted or otherwise, that arises. Hazy beginnings no longer phase me; every journey is apt to have surprise twists and turns. I embrace them; that’s where the fun is.

adventure, beauty, grateful, gratitude, opportunity, time

Beautiful: A Garden of Opportunity

Christa Avampato

bunch-of-beautiful-flower-garden-wallpapers-1024x768“It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted.” ~ Linda Conway

In most of our interactions, we never really know how we’ve affected another person. Something we say or do can have profound effects on someone else years later, and many times that effect surfaces in unexpected ways. We are all students and teachers. We observe and learn. What we say and do serves as an example for others.

When we are teaching through our words and actions, it’s important to remember that no one observes us and follows along in a rote manner. It’s not the information that’s most important. In our fast-paced world, information changes moment to moment. The system by which we process that information – our thought processes, interpretation, and then what we do with it – is what is under constant reflection by others around us.

By our words and actions, we are planting seeds. Just like a garden, some of those seeds will never germinate. We will never be able to influence some people. However, some of those seeds will sprout and take root when the conditions are right, when the person who observes us is ready to hear and act upon the lessons we teach. And it’s not always readily apparent who belongs to which group. The answers may surprise you.

There’s only one way to handle this ambiguity. Approach every situation, every opportunity, as a seed. Give it your best – all of the sunshine, water, and nutrients you can muster. Give it your love. Despite all of your doting, some of those seeds will remain dormant. But I promise you that some of them will blossom. Some of them will bring you an unimaginable amount of joy. So much so that they will make you grateful beyond measure.

Once you see that growth, put your time and attention there. All of it. That is the work of your life – to make a difference wherever and whenever you can. This is the great adventure.

adventure, beauty, design, determination

Beautiful: What Are You Planting in the Garden of Your Life?

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

Today we’re back to the regularly scheduled programming of inspiring posts that I hope help you go after everything you want in life.

We are down in the depths of winter. It’s cold, the daylight is limited, and we’re all hunkered down inside praying for Spring. Some of us (like yours truly) even have our eyes toward the summer. I think of Spring and Summer as a time of blossoming and then of harvesting. But if we don’t plant seeds now, there will be nothing for us to enjoy when the warm weather rolls around.

Now, during these cold and dark days, is the very best time to plant the seeds that you wish to grow. What dreams do you want to take root? What relationships do you want to build? How do you want your life to unfold? It doesn’t happen magically. A realized dream will not fall out of the sky and into your lap. It happens through hard work and dedication.

You can only reap what you sow. Gather up your seeds, head out there into the cold, and start planting. When those flowering dreams start reaching up toward the sun for all the world to see, you’ll be glad you took this time to bring them to life.

adventure, career, choices, creativity, job, work

Beautiful: Consider Taking a Crappy Job

Christa Avampato

2b22a1692e52c0522ffd195cd829ba27“What???” you might be saying to yourself. “Christa, the self-appointed evangelist for only doing work you love, is suggesting I take a crappy job?” Yes, yes I am. Under 3 big, fat conditions. It must be: 1.) temporary, 2.) lead to something you love, and 3.) possible to keep your dignity. Let me give you an example.

When I first moved to New York in 1998, I took an incredibly crappy job to follow my dream to work on Broadway shows. (This is more years ago than I really care to admit but since this story benefits you, I’m going to let that slide.) I sat on the floor of a very cramped theatre office opening mail, speaking to screaming customers, getting coffee, and doing just about any horrible job they needed done for $10 / hour.

Taking that crappy job was the best career decision I ever made because it got me inside a theatre which is exactly where I wanted to be. My boss was so appreciative of my work that I was promoted two and a half months later (on my birthday) to a slightly less crappy job managing a box office. In my new role, customers still screamed at me and I got a new boss who was completely awful (which was really unfortunate since I loved my first boss at that theatre), but now I was making $15 / hour and managed a team.

I spent 9 months “in the box” as I affectionately referred to my time there, and on my lunch break one day I ran into a college acquaintance totally by chance who put me on the trail of a job that let me go out on my first theatre tour. On tour, customers still screamed at me and I had a second really awful boss, but now I was making A LOT more money, traveling the country, and running a whole company.

Life was good, until it wasn’t, and then I quit, moved to Florida, and 6 months later got a great job with a great boss and lots of responsibility. There I learned how to be a fundraiser. Unfortunately, it only paid $13 / hour. I took it any way. That was the second best decision I ever made in my career.

My theatre career was a series of trade-offs. I worked my way from job to job gaining experience, making money, then making less money, and then taking my career in an entirely different direction. When I look back, I took those crappy jobs for all the right reasons. They were all temporary (which to be honest is true for every job eventually), they all led me to do things I love to do (working in a theatre, raising money for causes I care about, and managing a team), and I always kept my dignity. Even when customers were screaming at me, I was empowered to help them. Even when my few bad bosses were doing things like throwing staplers around the office and cursing out everyone who came near them, I learned how to stand my ground, stick up for people I cared about, and be confident in the face of great difficulty.

Most of all, those crappy jobs showed me the power of determination and the strength of my own abilities to make a rough situation much better. My presence in those jobs mattered, to the mission of the organizations and to the people around me. And that was a wonderful, beautiful thing. It still is. I’m incredibly proud of the work I did as a theatre manager and to this day I will tell anyone who will listen that it was the very best business training I’ve ever had. It taught me to take calculated risks and go after my dreams.

Your crappy job may do the same for you. If it does, I think it’s worthy of consideration. Sometimes, the very best opportunities aren’t the ones that are shiny and bright but the ones that require our efforts to make them shine.