Category: determination

determination, passion, success, work, writing, yoga

Beautiful: How to Be Successful

Christa Avampato

20700_446525692062402_1595450150_n“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, and every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” ~ Swami Vivekananda

Above anything, success requires dedication. You must give you heart, body, and soul over to it. It’s the drumbeat that never stops ringing in your ears. The masterpiece that is never quite finished by your hand. You have to care so much that you are willing to tinker with it over and over and over again.  And for its own sake, you let others play a part in it to share its goodness. It’s bigger than you.

My passion projects – writing, Compass Yoga, fundraising for good causes – are never far from my mind. And they never feel burdensome. They never feel like work. They’re more an elixir, a balm that makes all the rough patches of life a little easier to bear. They do more than sustain me; they raise me up.

This feeling is all the success I’ll ever need.

choices, determination, dreams, holiday, New Years Eve

Leap: 2013, We’re On Our Way

Christa Avampato

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In the movie Ratatouille, Linguini sets his mind to pull it together and go after his dream with the help of his wee partner in crime. His simple declaration “let’s do this thing” has been my mantra this year.

And what a year it’s been. It was a leap year for me in every sense. I put some old demons to rest. I went after the craziest of dreams. I took big risks. I pushed myself far beyond any limits I thought I had. I won and lost in equal amounts, and I wouldn’t trade a single one of those experiences. I take John Lennon’s advice to heart every single day – I don’t want to die with the music still in me. In every area of my life, I took the chance of looking like a fool because I don’t want to have any regrets. All of these leaps have been totally worth the effort, regardless of the outcome.

Now 2013 is upon us. Rather than making any specific resolutions, I’m taking my cue from Linguini. 2013, I’m coming for you and I mean to make this year a break out year on all fronts. Happy New Year everyone – let’s do this thing!

courage, creativity, customer service, determination, generosity, gratitude, thankful, time

Leap: You Don’t Need More

Christa Avampato

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My friend, Adela, posted this on her Pinterest board and it raises a question that I’ve run through my mind so many times this holiday season. It’s fine to wish or hope for something though every person I know who is happy has two qualities in abundance: gratitude and determination. They don’t pray for things to get better; they work hard and make them so. They recognize the value of who and what they have in their lives and they share with others.

Here’s what I’ve learned – everything, absolutely everything, can be figure out. We can find a way into a new job or field. We can solve challenges, locally and globally, by extending our hands and acting together. We can find love by opening our hearts. We can improve our world, for ourselves and others, by shutting down our devices, leaving our homes, and rolling up our sleeves. And none of this requires that we have more stuff. It requires that we have more heart, more concern, more courage, more confidence. It requires us to understand that we have everything we need to do everything we want to do. The question is what will we do with it.

This Christmas, I hope we all get just one thing in our stockings – the strength to decide that the helping hands we want are the ones we already have.

adventure, determination, discovery, journey

Leap: You Don’t Need the Destination, Just the Next Step

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

As I was scrolling through Pinterest yesterday in search of an image for another piece I’m writing, I came across this image of a small boy making his way up a seemingly endless staircase. He’s determined – knees lifted, arms pumping, no sign of slowing down.

How many times do we stop mid-step in our journey to gaze up at just how far we have to go? Our nerves get the best of us. We wonder if we can really make it to the top. Maybe we should just turn around now, save the effort and the energy. Is the rest of the climb really worth it, especially if we don’t know what the world will look like from way up there in the great beyond? Isn’t this spot where we are right now good enough?

Maybe, but personally I like to know my options. I want to see the world from way up high, knowing that I can always stroll back down if I want to. I’m too curious to give up the climb; too in love with the journey itself to turn away from possibility.

Don’t let the height of that staircase, nor the effort it requires, keep you from going further. Don’t think about the top; just think about the next step. One by one, take them in stride, and enjoy the experience that each one offers.

adventure, choices, creativity, determination, passion, time

Leap: Passion Projects

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Those who wish to sing, always find a song.” ~ Swedish proverb

If you truly have a passion to do something, you will make it happen. Its allure, its promise, will be undeniable. You will have to set aside everything else in favor of getting it done.

That’s how it goes with projects of the heart. Because it is actually a part of you, you cannot shake it. You will stare down every fear, leap over every obstacle, and shut down every nay-saying thought to bring it to life. You don’t have a choice in the matter. It is just what you must do.

choices, commitment, determination, failure, fate, fear, rejection, sadness

Leap: Ditch Your Fear of Rejection

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

I know this is true: because I have no fear of rejection, I have been able to do a lot more with my life than I would have done otherwise.

I’ve been rejected so many times, I’ve lost count. And you know what? None of those rejections killed me. Some of them hurt, badly, but none of them kept me down.

Rejection, that nasty, endless tape of “You can’t…”, “You aren’t good enough to…”, “Who are you to…” is worthless. It runs its mouth and there is no pleasing it. You can’t compromise with it. You can’t reason with it. You can’t take something good from it. It is rotten to the core. All you can do is shut it down.

Here’s the best outcome: you will do something you really want to do, gain confidence, be happy, and then work on your next dream. Awesome.

Here’s another possible outcome: you will pitch yourself into something and it will not work. You will fall down, you’ll perhaps sustain some bumps and bruises, and then you’ll get up. Big deal. You’re strong. You’ll become more resilient with each fall and rise. You’ll live to fight another day.

Here’s the worst possible outcome: you will let the spokesperson for the fear of rejection keep you from trying to do something you really want to do. And you’ll never do it. That’s just sad.

I know which of these paths I’m taking. Do you?

adventure, commitment, community, creativity, determination, dreams

Leap: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Then Get Down to Work in the Valley

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Our life is composed greatly from dreams from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.” ~ Anais Nin

I believe in shouting dreams. If you really want to do something, need something, or have something to give, I’m a fan of telling everyone you know about it. I’ve found it is the single best way to accomplish goals. We’re all here to help one another along this wild, twisted path of life. And we can’t help each other if we don’t know our own dreams, and the dreams of those around us.

Take a moment to be still. Close your eyes. Let your mind grow soft and your jaw go slack. Take 10 deep, slow breaths. Let any and every thought rise up into your consciousness. You’re not evaluating these thoughts. You’re not passing judgement. You’re scanning them. You’re looking for dreams. You’re looking for wishes that you are literally making with your heart.

Let those dreams rest in your mind’s eye and let everything else fall away. Consider how you might let people know about them, even how others may become a part of them, and how you might act upon them. Once you tell others about your dreams, you’ll find that others will share their dreams with you. Once they see you actually working on your dreams, you’ll find that many of them will work alongside you to bring those dreams to life.

The Universe will do its part, too. Once it sees that you are taking a chance on yourself, it will take a chance on you, too. Commitment and hard work are an incredibly magical combination. All of a sudden the dream that was living way deep down inside you, so far down that you didn’t even know it existed, not only comes into your consciousness, but it manifests out in the world.

Accomplishments are just dreams that you act upon. Nothing more, and nothing less.

adventure, creativity, decision-making, determination, integrity, work

Leap: Caution – Once You Find Your Path, You Must Take It

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Happiness is a choice… sometimes, a contagious one.” ~ Milkshake

On Thursday I had an interview for a wonderful job. A dream job for many. A year ago, maybe even just 6 months ago, I would have worked my tail off to land it and then willingly packed my bags to move myself 3,000 miles to take it. That was before I clarified that my dream work involves doing very cool trend and innovation research and then using that research to build things that are useful for the world.

This job is purely the research side, and I’ve been there before. It’s a great job; it’s just not a great job for me. I need tangible results that I can point to. I need contact with end-users. I need to know that I am spending my days in service to others.

Clarity is a beautiful and rare thing when it comes to our path in our careers. It takes years and years to get there. We long for it. We chase it down. We think that all of our problems will go away once we find it. I have not found that to be the case.

Finding our path can prove to be a giant pain in the ass because once we know it, way deep down in our gut, we can’t do anything else. We have to take it. All the other shining, beautiful opportunities of what we could do pale in comparison to what we know is our reason for being.

This job carried an incredibly handsome compensation package at a company with a great culture, working for a wonderful boss whom I respect and admire. But it’s not my work to do so I turned it down on the spot. I didn’t even have to think about it. I didn’t even hesitate to say it wasn’t for me. All the perks didn’t matter because I need to do the work I’m meant to do. That’s the only option.

If I took this job, I would have to put my teaching, writing, and consulting for good causes on hold. My personal life would disappear. It’s that kind of job – 24/7, nonstop, “jump this high now” type of work. I’ve grown too used to doing what I love, too used to finding complete joy in work. There’s no turning back now.

adventure, determination, dreams

Leap: The Seed of You

Christa Avampato
A seed that I found in the spice forest when I visited Munnar, India earlier this year.

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I don’t try to guess someone’s ceiling.” ~ Marcus Samuelsson, Yes, Chef

It’s easy to look at something, project our own experiences and opinions, and pass judgement on how it will unfold. We look at students and employees that way. We think we have the ability to determine someone else’s potential, that we can somehow determine how far they can go and what they can do. There’s a danger in that. The human brain is a wondrous piece of machinery, but it is a horrible fortune-teller.

Take a look at an acorn or any kind of seed the next time you’re out walking in the woods, planting in the garden, or strolling through the park. The seed is a humble looking entity and yet there are worlds buried inside it just waiting for a bit of Earth, a sprinkle of rain, and a few rays of sunshine to cast their gaze in its direction.

We are seeds, too. We cannot look at others, we can’t even look at ourselves, and know exactly what we are capable of being. Get some wilder dreams. Aspire to something beyond your own comprehension. Imagine that you have no boundaries, that there are no limits. Chase down that vision, confident in the knowledge that you have everything you need within you right now to bring it to life. If the acorn can do it, so can we.

creative process, creativity, determination, dreams, failure, imagination, success, time

Leap: Why It’s a Good Thing to Feel Like You Want to Give Up

Christa Avampato
All isn’t lost. You just need a break.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ~ Carl Rogers

Are you thinking of quitting? Throwing in the towel on a dream you’ve worked hard to actualize? Great. You’re exactly where you need to be. You’re just about to have a break through.

Be a softie
There’s a lot of praise for people who persevere, who never show weakness, who remain tough and steadfast in the face of every obstacle. If we constantly put on a brave face, we miss out on an enormously valuable human experience. If we never break down, we never find out what we’re really made of. If we never fall, we never build the strength to get back up and try again. And that muscle of determination is hard-won and invaluable.

You have to give up to move ahead
I’m always inspired by the number of famous breakthroughs that have happened after a nap. In sleep, we surrender the conscious wielding of the mind. We literally let our imaginations run wild, no more barriers, no more little voice that says “oh that’s ridiculous.” In sleep, all possibilities are on the table. If anything is possible in sleep, then it’s no wonder that it’s the perfect breeding ground for breakthroughs.

Carl Rogers’ famous quote about change holds true in the land of imagination as much as it does in every day living. When we accept that we may not be able to crack a challenge that we’ve wrestled with for a long time, then the answer rises up. And that answer is usually so startlingly simple that we often berate ourselves for not seeing it sooner.

But here’s the rub: as we’re pursuing the answer, it’s also pursuing us. Challenges want to be met. Puzzles want to be solved. If we don’t stop, drop, and listen, then we risk chasing one another around forever. So if you’ve given it your all and tried to chase after an answer to no avail, go ahead and give up for a while. Get quiet. Let it go and let inspiration knock on the door when it’s good and ready. That way you’ll be rested enough to welcome it when it arrives.