Category: determination

determination, dreams, success, work

Inspired: Love these “19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful”

Christa Avampato

My friend, Jess, posted this article on Facebook and it bolstered my spirits. Here is the link to the full article and below are the 19 hard things you need to do to be successful. So much truth in these words!

  • You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
  • You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
  • You have to give more than you get in return right away.
  • You have to care more about others than they care about you.
  • You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
  • You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
  • You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
  • You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
  • You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
  • You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
  • You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
  • You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
  • You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
  • You have to try and fail and try again.
  • You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
  • You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
  • You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
  • You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
  • You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.
determination, dreams

Beautiful: Make Your Own Sign

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

I’m a big believer in signs and I’ve found that they are all around us. We never have to wait for them. We only have to open our eyes and ears to see and hear them. And if at times my signs fail me, if I just can’t seem to find the ones I’m looking for, then I get out my laptop and make my own. That’s what this blog is, for me and I hope for you. Here’s the sign you’ve been waiting for no matter what you’re trying to do. Now get out there and do it. Make it happen.

And a happy birthday shout out to my sister, Weez, another keen eye-spying sign spotter.

choices, courage, decision-making, design, determination, time

Beautiful: The Mad Path Is One of Possibility

Christa Avampato

113b7d49aefec161100fed4bc73d5d9b“I don’t want people to think I’m crazy so I won’t say, do, try…’x’.” How many times have you said that to yourself? I hear that recording running in my mind all the time. And I’ve learned to acknowledge it, thank it for its counsel, and then let it go. We have to release that thought if we are to do anything original. Our value, and the value of work, is found in what’s not obvious, in connecting dots that have been disparate.

That’s the place to go – into the dark corners, into the places that others won’t go. And don’t be meek about it. Hold your head up high, confident, bold, brave, and daring. Attempt to go so far in the direction of your dreams that you merge with them. Your life is an expression of what matters most to you – who you spend your time with, where you go, the actions you take, the support, encouragement, and love that you provide to others.

Don’t be discouraged if others can’t see what you see. It’s not their fault. They don’t have your vision in their minds. You have to build it for them. You have to bring along those who are interested in your path bit by bit. The expression you wear on your face and the light you emit from just being who you are, living your very best day every day no matter what circumstances you face, is all the proof you need.

business, determination, opportunity, passion, product, product development, time

Beautiful: A Lesson in Persistence from Life is Good

Christa Avampato

good-yoga-studio-baulkham-hills-meditation-relax-stressMy friend, Moya, sent me this video yesterday. It is a 3-minute video interview with the Founders of Life is Good. Here’s what I love about it:

1.) They are honest about the fact they have made every single business mistake in the book.

2.) By all accounts, they failed for 5 and a half years before they hit upon their “Life is Good” slogan with their mascot, Jake. And here’s the best part – it wasn’t even their idea to put that slogan and character on a t-shirt. They had a ton of t-shirt designs taped to the wall of their apartment and they invited a bunch of friends over to get their feedback on the designs. Their friends are the ones who pushed them to put the slogan and Jake on a shirt and sell it. It was an immediate hit.

3.) They have a very clear, simple, and elegant business proposition: spread optimism. They don’t care what products they make; they care about the message that’s infused into each one of those products. Life isn’t great, and it’s sure as hell not easy, but it is good. And that’s why they want people to know.

Click here to view the video.

determination, strengths

Beautiful: Buck Limitations

Christa Avampato

7b77dd7430c1862c5719ede1afb7ba15-1All it takes is one tiny step. All we really need is one small example of our strength and it will open up a well within us that is deeper than we ever thought possible.

creativity, determination, opportunity

Beautiful: The Heart and Head Can Overcome Any Obstacle

Christa Avampato

21ba2e3b048c94995fdbc9e2831a2525As much as I respect my mind’s desire to protect me, I also respect my heart’s ability to guide me. Some obstacles are real, most are imagined, and I take time every day to let my mind and heart sort out which is which. The ones that are real obstacles, I turn into opportunities to grow strength, determination, and creativity. Nothing is impossible.

determination, failure, time

Beautiful: The Journey of Falling Down

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Fall, then figure out what to do on the way down.” ~ Del Close

I fall a lot. You might say I’ve become an expert faller. I often choose to do something knowing that I’ll fall just so I can learn something. Given the choice between the smooth sailing road and a vertical climb, I’ll take the vertical every time. I try things that don’t work out as I hope or expect. I take up new hobbies, explore new interests, and take myself way outside my comfort zone on a regular basis. I’ve taken jobs that didn’t work out, moved to new cities in an attempt to find “home”, and been in relationships that crashed and burned and rose only to crash and burn and rise again.

Falling down makes me feel alive. All my senses are activated. When I fall, I am fully aware of where I am and what I’m feeling. I’m reminded that everything runs in a cycle. Birth, death, and renewal comprise a constant loop. There’s something thrilling about being out there on the edge, pushing the boundaries, reaching for things that are just out of reach. It makes me stronger. It helps me understand what’s important.

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.

career, determination, entrepreneurship, work

Beautiful: Entrepreneurs Work Like Ducks

Christa Avampato
Work like a duck
Work like a duck

Do you know how a duck moves forward? It may look like it’s just gliding along the water effortlessly and peacefully. If you were to look under water, you’d find that a duck is paddling is furiously to get ahead. In this way, entrepreneurs are no different from ducks.

Forget overnight success
I talk to a lot of people who are just starting out. They’re all looking for their big breakout moment, their game-changing innovation. Many of them want success yesterday and they get frustrated when they’re latest greatest product or service is not an overnight sensation. We have become a nation obsessed with insta-everything. All of the successful people I know worked very hard for a long time to get where they are. Their success required hard work, determination, and unrelenting passion for the work, not prestige.

How to make the leap
Taking my leap into a freelance life took a lot of careful, deliberate planning. I put myself through school twice while living on very little money. I took lots of jobs that were difficult and didn’t pay well because they were phenomenal learning opportunities. I took jobs that I hated, working for people who were grossly incompetent and flat-out mean, because I needed the cash. I did a lot of work for free because I believed in its value for the world. I read incessantly, network constantly, pitch myself every single day, and help other people take their leaps because I believe in their potential and because I know that a rising tide lifts all boats. I take lots of risks, and many of them do not carry tangible rewards but they’ve all been valuable experiences.

We all need to get a little lucky
And even with all that work, I still needed luck on my side to get to a point where I cover all my expenses on my freelance work and am now poised to begin to save again, too. I still needed a few lovely angels who came in the form of bosses, mentors, friends, teachers, and even some complete strangers. I’m always prepared to be lucky, and every once in a great while that preparation pays off.

Everyone has ideas. Everyone is creative. Everyone wants to evolve and grow and blossom into the very best people they can be. My advice? Be a duck. Keep a calm and centered exterior. Trust that if you are willing to pedal madly that progress will indeed be made.

adventure, creativity, determination, passion

Beautiful: Irrational Passion

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“‘Irrational Personal Passion’ is the heart of effective entrepreneurship.” ~ Tom Peters

You have an idea. A wonderful, beautiful, sparkly idea. After much crafting and nurturing, you slowly begin to release it out into the world. You tell one person, and then another, and then another. You hope for praise and encouragement and much rejoicing. And there is that one person (or in my case, there are many people) who tell you your idea just won’t work because of reasons A – Z. And what do you do? You smile.

You’re on to something. You’ve hit a nerve. You’ve found a new way of seeing the world. Now you’re getting somewhere.

Some people give up in the face of criticism and negativity. You? You keep rising. You take all that energy that people put into tearing down your idea and use it make yourself, and your idea, stronger. Plow ahead. Reach higher. Go further. Irrational passion is the only thing that has ever caused true, lasting, meaningful change. Without it, we’ll never be anything more than we already are. Irrational passion is the fuel of progress.