Category: goals

goals, time

Leap: The View From Where You Are Now

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~ Lao Tzu

We are programmed to think that what we have right now is not enough. We need things that are bigger, better, faster, shinier, newer. It keeps us striving.

I love striving. I love setting a goal and exceeding it. As I get older, I’m also learning to enjoy where I am right now. I see how much further I have to go. I see the mountain before me and I’m excited to scale it. But I don’t want to miss the glorious views along the way. I want to take it all in and be grateful, content in this moment that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.

creativity, goals, learning

Leap: One Picture a Day

Christa Avampato
A picture I took on my first day of my "a picture a day" - daffodils in Union Square, low contrast color setting

For Christmas, my family gave me cash and Amazon gift certificates so that I could put that money toward getting a new digital camera. My old one started to develop its quirks and had been put to goo use for many years. Because I know India will be filled with gorgeous photo opportunities, I wanted to make sure I had a camera that was up to the challenge.

After much research I settled on a Nikon S9100. It’s a bit more camera than I know how to use, but I got such a good deal that I went for it. Though I’ve read the manual, I’ve been reluctant to use anything but the auto mode. The multitude of options served as a great big hurdle and for some reason I was afraid to jump. Irrational, but truthful.

I was recanting this story to my friend, Amy, when she gave me one simple piece of advice. “Take one picture a day, every day. It’s small so you can carry with you everywhere. Take a picture without being concerned with how it turns out. Just choose a setting, snap, and see how it goes.” It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard about photography. It’s also a wonderful guiding principle for life.

Take a big goal and break it down, day by day, frame by frame. Take it, watch, and learn. Practice is for its own sake.

dreams, goals, healthcare, yoga

Leap: Our Goals Should Be Impossible

Christa Avampato

“To make your goals effective, you have to fail at them 50% of the time, or they didn’t stretch you far enough.” ~ Chip Wilson, Founder of Lululemon Athletica

Some people think my goal of wanting to dramatically improve the entire healthcare system in the United States through Compass Yoga is just crazy.

Sometimes they look at me with very sympathetic eyes as if to say, “Well isn’t that ambitious.” And then other times they raise their eyebrows in a surprised expression of, “Who does this woman think she is?” My answers are, “Yes, I am ambitious” and “I am someone who cares.”

One of the great blessings and curses of reading so much and spending so much of my time engaged with others is that the problems of the world are my problems. It doesn’t matter if today the problems of the world affect me directly. I know so clearly that eventually they will be my problem – the crummy economy, climate change, soaring healthcare costs, a failing education system. These will be everyone’s problems. We are too interconnected now to turn a blind eye. We cannot live in castles in the sky while their foundations are crumbling here on Earth.

It takes crazy people to bring monumental change. It takes people who take risks, who try and try again undeterred, who reject the idea of business as usual. Business can’t be usual any more. We have too many challenges that need creative solutions. And that goes for politics, education, the environment, international relations, energy policies, and yes, healthcare. What has been is not what can be going forward. We need more passion and more enthusiasm to find better answers.

So do I think impossible goals are worthwhile? You bet I do and I’ll chase my impossible dreams down with every bit of speed I can build. There’s just no way of knowing what’s possible until we give it everything we’ve got. As Nelson Mandela wisely said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Go further.

business, goals, priorities, productivity

Beginning: The 1-1-1 Productivity Plan Inspired by Herman Cain

Christa Avampato
Herman Cain and his claim to fame

It really is true that we can learn something from everyone, Herman Cain included.

He certainly has gotten himself into a good deal of hot sauce this last week. (So much so, that the man known for his 9-9-9 plan needs a PR 9-1-1 plan in a hurry!) The self-proclaimed Godfather of Pizza has been tossing out catch-phrases to make him a memorable candidate. No doubt this is due to his early training creating marketing messages on cardboard boxes filled with cheesy, saucy goodness. His 9-9-9 plan is another recipe for disaster that we don’t need, but there’s something valuable in his approach: to embrace a plan of any size, it’s got to be so simple that we can walk around repeating it to ourselves. It doesn’t need a 30 page memo and a matrix process plan to understand the basic architecture.

I recently had lunch with my pal, Jeff, a marketing whiz, comedian, and constant seeker of improvement. He wanted some answers – how do I maintain my productivity and my sanity? I’ve got a plan for productivity that’s similar in structure to Herman Cain’s plan for the economy, but mine’s been tested and approved.

I call it 1-1-1: For my three main goals for the year, I make a pact every weekend to do one thing to further each of those goals. This past weekend, I wanted to write 1 chapter of the book I’m working on, send out 1 letter of introduction for Compass Yoga‘s business development, and take 1 yoga class. If I could tick off those 3 boxes, then the weekend would be a triple win. In reality, if felt so good to get these 3 wins that I actually did more than I promised myself I would do. And then that felt even better, even more productive. Warning: productivity is addictive.

Success is all about context. We need to work hard and get a lot done – that’s true for any business owner. To-do items will compete for our attention and beg for priority in the queue. They’re needy, but don’t let them charm you. Stay focused:

1.) What are your top 3 goals for the year? Make those your structure of productivity, the frame you’ll hang your actions on.

2.) Now in any given day, week, or month, what is the one thing you’ll do to advance each of those goals? Those are your resolutions, and ultimately your accomplishments.

That’s how I stay productive, limit distractions, and keep my confidence up. What works for you?

goals, healthcare, opportunity, yoga

Beginning: Opportunity is Everywhere – Build a Beautiful Company By Filtering

Christa Avampato

“In a painting you create beauty with the addition of each brush stroke. In a company you create it with the addition of each talented, engaged person and with each thoughtful act.” ~ Bill Witherspoon

There’s a lot of lip service paid to talent management in companies and organizations, and that lip service is fine as long as it’s backed up with action. As the Board of Directors and I work on shaping Compass Yoga, we’re very conscious about the beauty of the company, staying true to the mission of serving students with mental and physical health challenges and partnering with like-minded teachers and organizations.We’re picky about who we bring into the fold, and because we are a service organization our product is our people. They are the key ingredient to making this work, and it’s such a joy to find these kindred spirits. It’s also a lot of work.

We’re discerning, and growing more so all the time. We have a filter that we use to evaluate our partnerships and our opportunities thanks to Michael Vito, one of the very talented board members:

1.) Does the partnership or opportunity align with our mission?

2.) Is there a material benefit to gain from the partnership or opportunity?

3.) Is the partnership or opportunity financially beneficial to both parties?

Michael developed this filter for us because everywhere we look we see opportunity for Compass. Because we are still bootstrapping the organization, we have to be very careful about where we deploy our resources. We need to focus so that we can keep an eye on our beautiful long-term goal – improving our healthcare system.

books, business, goals

Beginning: Who Do You Serve?

Christa Avampato

“Who cares most if we succeed or fail?” ~ Jason Saul, author of The End of Fundraising: Raise More Money By Selling Your Impact, on how to build a stakeholder map

My friend and Compass Board Member, Lon, suggested that I read Jason Saul’s book as we begin to put together the financial plan for Compass. I’m actually going to work through the book with the Board because our main financial goal is to be a fully self-sustaining organization – exactly what Jason Saul advocates in his book. We want fundraising to be the gravy of our financial plan, not the main course. Jason Saul gives us a way to do that, and his book is a solid resource for anyone starting or running a business, nonprofit or for-profit.

The biggest take-away from the book is something I often heard in business school and the greatest I have learned from yoga – focus is everything. We cannot be all things to all people. If we try to do that, we end up being of very little value to anyone. Does that mean that what we offer is only useful to a handful of select people? Absolutely not. It may well be that everyone who comes into contact with your products and services takes away something positive. The question at hand is one of focus – yours. Where do you put your time and energy, both precious and finite resources? And to answer that question you need to figure out who you serve and why you matter to those customers.

Compass Yoga‘s ideal students are the once who aren’t going to walk into a traditional yoga studio. They’ve never tried yoga or meditation before though they’re curious and want to give it a shot because they want to be happier, healthier, and more at ease in their daily lives. And they have some specific therapeutic reason for seeking out yoga.

Could a long-time practitioner who is happy, healthy, and at ease get something out of a Compass class? Of course. Would I turn these people away from a class? Absolutely not – they will always be welcome. I remain steadfast in my belief that yoga is for every body. I’m just not the right teacher for every body and every student is not right for me. I love people who have the courage to begin from zero; I love to be a guide. My energy is focused on those beginners, and if others get something out of the teaching, then all the better.

The question “Who do you serve?” is fundamentally about finding our place in a crowded field; it’s about defining a way to shine with our gifts in one hand and our passion in the other. It’s about finding our authentic purpose and the people who will benefit most from us fulfilling our destiny. I have tremendous empathy for beginners and for people who are challenged with health issues, be they mental or physical. I was one of them and I will never forget how that felt. I will also never forget how useful yoga and meditation were to me in times of real trouble, and how much comfort they continue to provide on a daily basis. By serving those beginners who are challenged with health issues, I’m paying forward the gifts my teachers (and there were many!) provided to me.

It’s a nice idea to be inclusive and giving to anyone who wants to learn the lessons we have to offer. I recommend it as a way of life; I don’t recommend it when developing a business plan. Figure out exactly who you serve and why you’re the best person to provide that service to those customers. In business, focus is rewarded. Go too broad and you are setting yourself up for irrelevance.

fate, fear, frustration, future, goals, growth

Beginning: There is a Message in There. Keep Looking.

Christa Avampato

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill

I had gotten an unwieldy situation under control. I was feeling good about the progress and the step-wise solution that was in place, and then it all came apart in 48 hours. Like pulling a loose thread in a sweater, every piece unraveled. All the forward movement had been erased and then some. I showed up at Brian’s office a little worn out. Depleted. How and more importantly, why, did this happen?

Brian sensed my frustration the moment I walked into his office. “You’re living on a ledge. What kind of existence is that?” he counseled me. “What the universe, what your yoga, is trying to tell you is that you can be more. You can do more. What you’re doing now is just watching the time pass, and that’s no way to live. I’m a little worried that you’re too adaptable, that you’re too good at coping. Go where you can be well and inspire wellness in others.”

He’s right of course. Sometimes I try to prove him wrong. I discount his counsel, and I waste my time in doing so. So here’s to leaving the ledge, to picking up one foot and then the other, and not looking back. There’s the message I was looking for…

change, childhood, choices, commitment, goals

Beginning: Striving By Settling for Change

Christa Avampato

<a “Something has always come along to shake things up just when I am feeling settled. Maybe this is the fate of a striver, someone always trying to be ‘twice as good’.” ~ Condoleezza Rice

A few months ago I read the book Extraordinary, Ordinary People by Condoleezza Rice. It tells her own personal story prior to her very public life by paying tribute to her parents. Despite the fact that I was confused by nearly every foreign policy call she made while servicing in President Bush’s administration, I was enormously impressed by her personal story and the candor with which she told it. She’s also an incredibly likeable person.

Shake it up, baby
Of all the sound bites in the book, this one about the life of a striver has stuck with me. I regularly go through this same roller coaster. Just when I think I’m settled and I’ve got it all figured out, my reality gets turned on its head. This has happened to me enough times that I have learned to just roll with changes, big and small. And while this constant change may appear unsettling on the surface in actuality it’s made me so grateful. Because I know that everything will change, I appreciate each moment, good or bad, more fully. I’m reminded of my mother’s mantra, “This too shall pass.” Everything passes.

On disappointment
Another happy side effect of the acceptance of change is that disappointment has less of a sting. My friend, Sara, recently asked me how I manage to work on so many projects at once. For better or worse, I was raised to be productive. My father’s one ask of us is that we never do anything to embarrass him; ironic given all the times he embarrassed us. Still, that stuck with me and to me meant that if I attempted to do anything it had better be done well. It was made very clear to us that we are here on borrowed time and that we were expected to make a contribution to humanity.

My father’s life was tragically cut short at age 61 with most of his life’s work left unfinished. The lesson of how fleeting life is sticks with me; I think about it every day. The most enlightened point-of-view of this lesson is that I have very little time to feel badly about disappointment. I have to pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again. In many ways, to keep going is the only way I know to deal with disappointment.

A belief in karma
I’m a walking contradiction, and truth be told I like it that way. A big believer in free will, I’m also just as passionate about the concept of destiny, karma, and a predetermined path. One of my favorite quotes came from Steve Jobs when he told a group of graduates that life could only be understood in reverse because it’s only in reverse that all of the seemingly disparate pieces of our lives fit together. As I work on the direction of Compass Yoga, I realize why I need all of my life experiences, good and bad, big and small.

Welcome, Change!
In an effort to make all of these experiences worthwhile, to make them mean something in the grand scheme of life, I’m glad to put myself in the camp of strivers. In the end I want to be able to look back on my long life and realize that it was twice as good as I ever thought it would be. This is a tall order given that I have very high expectations. And if change is the linchpin that makes that dream possible, then I welcome it with open arms and often.

adventure, choices, goals, yoga

Beginning: The Long and Short of Achievement

Christa Avampato

sciencedaily.com
“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~ Rumi via Daily Good

By nature, I am a goal driven person. I put a big, audacious, ambitious goal out into the universe and then I work like heck to bring it to life. I love nothing better than progress and the feeling of spending my time on a worthy achievement. I fiercely maintain my abilities to be self-sufficient and independent – it’s why the mindset of veterans makes so much sense to me and why I seek to work with them in my yoga teaching.

Daily Good’s post is a part of my every day regiment. The fine folks who run the site put together a poignant, inspiring post every day. It always resonates with me. Their recent post inspired by Rumi’s quote made me start to think differently of how I work to achieve my goals. Is my focus on the goal itself misplaced? Could I actually be more efficient (which I love to be!) if I focused not on the goal itself, but on the barriers that I need to hurdle over to get to the goal.

The 2-inch picture frame
In college, one of my roommates gave me a 2-inch dual picture frame. One one side, I have a picture of a row-boat – it reminds me of the importance of embarking on new journeys. On the other side, I have a picture of a park bench that has two sitting spots clearly worn through the paint – it reminds me of the importance of having companionship along our journeys.

Whenever I have a very large task ahead of me, that 2-inch picture frame reminds me to break the task apart into small pieces. I just need to work on the masterpiece of my life one 2-inch portion at a time, just as a painter or sculptor does. Each piece feeds into the whole, bit by bit.

Playing pool
A number of years ago I dated a guy who was a master pool player. I liked to play pool though I was pretty bad at it. I focused on the cue ball, and not the ball I was trying to send into a pocket of the table. Once he helped me shift my focus to the long-term ball I wanted to sink, my pool playing improved dramatically. In this case it wasn’t the task at hand (hitting the cue ball) that mattered most, but rather what I hoped that task helped to do for me in the long-run (sinking the ball in the pocket.)

Equal amount of attention on the details and on the grand vision
For a long time I thought the focus on short-term and long-term was an either / or decision, and for the most part I focused on the long-term. I don’t think this was a bad choice; it helped me to make some serious short-term trade-offs so that I could reach goals like putting myself through college and through graduate school, both of which yielded huge benefits on my life overall.

The quote by Rumi reminded me that as I take on bigger life goals, such as working on Compass Yoga full-time, making peace with my dad, and finding the guy who is going to be my partner in life, seeking to remove the barriers to my success is a viable and fruitful way to travel down the path.

books, free, goals

Beginning: My One Word Purpose

Christa Avampato

This blog post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes.

I just finished up Deepak Chopra’s latest book The Soul of Leadership: Unlocking Your Potential for Greatness. At the start of the book, he walks his readers through an exercise that will eventually lead to an individual’s purpose. Ideally, that purpose, or dharma, will be one word. At first, I was skeptical. Being a woman of many words, a fan of words, I didn’t believe I could get my great big beautiful life to fit in just one tiny word.

I love to be proven wrong because when that happens it literally blows my mind. In addition to being a woman of many words, I’m also a woman of strong convictions. That’s how I was raised – to have an opinion. And I just didn’t think that even the wisdom of Dr. Chopra was going to get my life into one word.

Dr. Chopra 1, Christa 0. Or rather, a win for both because he did help me get to a  one-word purpose, so focused, elegant, and simple that it had me skipping around my apartment. After all of my wandering, literally and figuratively, I found a single purpose of being, not doing. Awareness. I am here, on this Earth, in this body, at this time, to wake up. And help others do the same. Awareness is the purpose that underlies everything I do, wherever I am, and whoever I’m with.

I thought a one word purpose would be confining when in fact it is the most liberating thing in the world. I do feel unlocked and I do feel great. just as the book promises in its title. Just saying “awareness” actually helps me to release and let go. It doesn’t feel small at all. It actually feels expansive, like all of a sudden I found a way to take in the whole world without feeling overwhelmed by it.

Do you have a word that conveys your purpose? If not, grab a copy of The Soul of Leadership and take a spin through the exercise. It takes about 30 minutes. I can’t wait to hear what you find!

The image above can be here found here.

This blog is part of the 2011 WordPress Post Every Day Challenge.