Category: luck

luck, opportunity

Step 158: Luck and Preparation

Christa Avampato

“People always called it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.” ~ Anne Tyler, American author

Every time I bring up the subject of luck with Brian I get his stern look. He doesn’t believe in luck. He says that I’ve been preparing all my life for the good fortune that’s now coming to fruition, and that much of it has been here all along. I just haven’t ever slowed down enough to see it until now.

I experienced the Anne Tyler sentiment earlier today. I told someone about a recent opportunity that sort of fell out of the sky and into my lap. I’m trying to work out the logistics of whether or not I can take it, and those logistics are proving to be a little hairy, which I was explaining to this person. She responded, “I don’t understand how you get all these lucky breaks.”

I told her that I spend a lot of time getting clear on what I want to do. It doesn’t mean I always operate with absolute clarity, or that I’m not open and flexible to change, but I always try to keep moving in the direction that’s right for me. And I network all the time, mostly because I love interesting people and learning and I live in New York City where we’re all packed into this tiny little island like sardines. You can’t help but find opportunity here – there’s nowhere for it to hide!

I’ve also taken up the practice of shouting dreams at the top of my lungs. If I really want to do something, I start telling people about it, and sure enough, that network that I spend so much energy and time cultivating and helping helps me right back. I then explained this idea to this person and she replied, “Well, I want to do all these things you do, but I never have any luck with actually getting the chance to do them.”

Here’s the 3rd piece of the puzzle: no one is going to make opportunities expressly for you. You have to build the opportunity. And that has nothing to do with luck. That means rolling up your sleeves, figuring out what you need to know to make something happen, and then going for it with gusto. We can make excuses for the opportunities we have (or don’t have) all we want. In the end, the life we live is the life we imagine and build.

luck, work

Step 105: Making Luck

Christa Avampato

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

When my mother was in her mid-20’s, she and a girlfriend went to New Orleans on vacation. The way she describes the city over 40 years later sounds very similar to the way it is today. Lots of jazz music everywhere, amazing food, voodoo, history around every corner. (My friend, Dan, and I are planning a little trip down there in the Fall. Neither of us have ever been so we figured it would be fun for our next vacation adventure together.) My mom and her friend were walking down the street when they passed by a fortune-teller who asked if they’d like to have their fortunes read. And so the story goes that my mother said, without missing a beat, “No thanks. We’ll make our own fortune.”

That kernel of my mom’s truth got buried deep inside me. I don’t pray for things to happen in my life. I don’t wish for things, or throw up my arms asking for help. There are many incredible things that have happened to me because I was in the right place with the right people at the right time. It’s not that luck didn’t play a role at all. It’s just that luck is far below the title of my life. First, I had to be prepared, and that meant I have always had to work very hard in order to recognize and take a chance on a lucky break when it came my way. Without the preparation and the hard work, luck wouldn’t have helped me along at all.

I definitely feel that lucky wind on my back these days. I’m getting my arms around my career and my career shifts. I’m picking up freelance writing work. I’ve happened into wonderful, loving groups of new friends. I live in a lovely little apartment and have the luxury to really enjoy my life in New York. But this didn’t come about by accident or wishing or luck. It happened because I worked my tail off, especially when I didn’t have too many signs that I was working on the right things. A lot of this wonderful life of mine came about by going with my gut and taking a chance and having confidence to believe that if I really put my heart into something, I could get it to go.

I’m with my mom and Thomas Jefferson on this one. Luck is made, not born. I’d love to hear about your “lucky” breaks and how you made them happen!

The image above is not my own. It can be found here.

faith, friendship, home, luck

My Year of Hopefulness – A Lucky Place to Lay My Head

Christa Avampato

My friend, Liz (another unwitting angel), was able to connect me to a friend of hers regarding an apartment. Her friend sent me the management company’s contact info. I emailed them right away and they were able to show me a studio apartment that’s available immediately, in my same neighborhood, in my price range. This story is miraculous enough with just these details though the other coincidences are striking.

My apartment building caught fire on Saturday afternoon and by tonight, I have a new place to live. It’s a pent house studio with outdoor space, lots of light, a dishwasher, full-size appliances, a very large closet, doorman, elevator, laundry in-building, art deco building, only one month security, no broker fee, beautiful view of the skyline and the Hudson River. Skeptical? Me too. It gets better.
It’s one of the first buildings in New York City that takes American Express as a form of payment for rent. And until this morning, the apartment had been listed as having an application in. It’s been that way for weeks. However, the application fell through some time ago and the list did not update for some odd reason until this morning.
Tomorrow I will get two checks for the realty company and at lunchtime will hop uptown to sign the lease. This apartment hunt all wrapped up in less than 48 hours and I got a space where I feel safe. Life changes so fast. All we can do is be ready – for good luck and bad luck. Both are bound to turn up in our lives at one time or another. And while I hope I have seen the later of these for some time to come, I’m so abundantly grateful that during this difficult transition I’ve still been able to find, receive, and recognize blessings.
friendship, home, luck

My Year of Hopefulness – Go the Other Way

Christa Avampato

I went to the US Open today. It was a welcome relief from yesterday’s chaos and the fallout that is about to ensue. I’m not at all pleased with the landlord’s response to the fire in my building. There will not be any additional safety measures taken to secure the building and they will not do any cleaning of the units. In his words “You should probably feel safe living there.” Thanks, for nothing. So as soon as possible, I’ll be on the move again and in the mean time I am grateful, as always, for the amazing friends in my life who are helping me out through this difficult time. I am blessed to be alive and surrounded by so many incredible souls.

At the US Open, I was watching the Del Porto vs. Koehlerer match. It was an amazing competition to watch. I was sitting next to a few young kids, probably high school age, who wanted to get the wave going. They tried in one direction and got barely any traction. After a few unsuccessful attempts, they gave up, and then someone from a section in the opposite direction told the high schoolers to pass the wave over to them. It caught on like wildfire, and went all the way around the stadium, several times, including through the section that hadn’t taken it up when the wave was passed directly to them.

Fun to watch, the wave helped me adjust to my changing situation. I was getting so upset about my apartment, about not having a place to live, again, having to crash with friends, again, and the general attitude and lack of concern from my landlord. Keith put things in perspective for me. My apartment building is not safe, and I’m so disturbed by the lack of concern that my landlords are showing for their tenants that I’m never going to be comfortable there. So better to just adjust, pack, and go someplace else. “Yes, it sucks,” Keith said. “But that’s all. It just sucks. You’re okay, a lot of your things are okay, and all you have to do is move.”

I have accept that this change has happened, and now I have to change, too. Getting frustrated and angry at the situation won’t help, no matter how angry or frustrated I get. Just like the high schoolers and the wave, I need to go in the opposite direction. It’s the only way forward. So here I go again…

experience, good fortune, happiness, luck, mood, movie, outlook

My Year of Hopefulness – Prepare Yourself

Christa Avampato

“Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

For the past few months, I’ve been thinking about preparedness. For whatever reason, my life has taken some unexpected, wonderful turns that I didn’t expect during this time. And for some other reasons that I don’t fully I understand, I have been prepared for them. Ready to raise my hand, ready to make time in my life to pursue these new opportunities, ready to be surprised.

We owe it to ourselves to be able to accept and relish happy circumstances. And I have found more often than not that happiness largely depends on our desire to be happy. My friend, Kelly, and I love to quote the movie Say Anything when John Cusack says, “how hard is it to just decide to be in a good mood and then be in a good mood?” If we keep ourselves always looking up, aiming high, and seeking good fortune, then we at least have a decent shot at living a life that’s good, honest, and worthwhile.

This life requires that we be prepared for things to go our way. We spend so much time preparing for disaster, disappointment, and hardship. I’ve spent a lot of my life hoping for the best and expecting the worst. But what if I spent even a small amount of time at least anticipating if not expecting the best outcome? These last few months have taught me that the best of times can be upon us now, even when many world circumstances look so bleak. While the world may not be clean and bright, our attitude and outlook can be, and perhaps that intention is enough to change not only our own circumstances, but the circumstances of those whose lives we touch.

The image above can be found at: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_wZoiN6j9b2k/R0s8rN24ETI/AAAAAAAAALc/57869_Jfv9E/100_3377.JPG

entrepreneurship, experience, luck, writing

My Year of Hopefulness – Know Where You’re Going

Christa Avampato

“The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.”
~ David Starr Jordan, ichthyologist and peace activist

I have come across a slew of powerful quotes recently. This quote by David Starr Jordan is one that had special meaning for me this week. I have been considering a number of different new business ventures, cranking along in my writing, and moving ahead with projects that have been in the queue for a while. This week I started to notice that while I am extremely busy, I’m in a groove. The world seemed to remove all obstacles from my path and allowed me to pass through with ease. And more than once, I noticed that a happy coincidence and helpful resources presented themselves. I’ve even found my typical junk mail helpful!

Nothing has recently changed in my life. I make the same amount of money, have the same skill sets, know the same people. So how did I cross over? How has life managed to somehow get easier as of late?

For one thing, I am asking for help, input, and advice with greater frequency. This is not something that’s easy for me. I pride myself on being tremendously self-sufficient. However, the projects I’m most excited about at the moment require expertise beyond my own knowledge. And therefore, necessitate my reaching out. I’ve been blown away by the willingness of others to help me.

I’ve also noticed my confidence, in my writing and in my business ideas, has also grown. I’ve been playing ‘fake it until I make it’, and guess what? It works. My years of writing and developing idea, products, and services is paying off as I cross over form being a novice with an interest to someone with concrete experience and tangible work to show for my efforts.

Finally, I know where I’m going, making me more aware of the help that has been around me all along. I’m on the path to starting my own company, and I know what I want it to look like and how I want it to function. Knowing where I’m going has made articulating my vision and values much clearer, to myself and to everyone else. It might be a long and winding road, though it’s much easier to keep going when the world provides its encouragement and assistance.

education, karma, luck, travel, Washington

My Year of Hopefulness – Food Trucks

Christa Avampato

One very positive outcome of the economic downturn is the return of food trucks. Recently, I’ve seen a food truck that specializes in Belgian waffles, a pizza truck (apparently all the rage in cities like LA), and every variety of cuisine you could imagine from Middle Eastern to Indian to down home American. One of my favorites is the Treats Truck, full of sugary sweetness that has a very loyal following and donates to a designated charity-of-the-month.

In college, I lived on the the food from food trucks all over West Philadelphia. I dare say that I would have gone hungry many times over without them; they were the only outlet that fit my meager work-study earnings budget. There’s something that feels so good about knowing that the food from those trucks is being made right in front of you and that you’re helping small business owners who are working hard, day in and day out, to serve their communities. At Penn, I had more in common with the food truck owners than I did with my classmates – I felt like we we formed a covenant of the scrappy and ambitious.

As my friend, Jamie, and I got lunch today at a food truck and happily chowed down on our chicken kabobs in the park, I was reminded of how far I’ve come since my college food truck days. Over the weekend, I was in DC and walked along the perimeter of the Capitol Building and past my old office building where I had my first job out of college. I thought about my very first few days in DC, a little lost after college, not quite sure what I was doing or where I was going. I smiled as I stood in the shadow of the Capitol Building, much the same way as I smiled eating my chicken kabob today. In these past few days I’ve felt my life come full circle, truly amazed that it all worked out so well, despite my bumbling and fumbling.

This world really does support us. Just when we need them, friends shows up with a smile and an understanding ear. Or a job really comes through for us when we need it most. Or a food truck provides us with some nourishment at a price we can afford. Lately, I’m marveling at how perfect timing shows up in our lives every day as long as we commit to showing up, too. The universe reminds us of its presence in big ways and small, in good times and tough times. We can take advantage of the opportunities it presents at every moment, so long as we stay aware and alert and grateful.

luck, New York City, Sesame Street, television

My Year of Hopefulness – Prepare to be lucky

Christa Avampato

I’m in the middle of reading Street Gang: The Complete Story of Sesame Street. My sister, Weez, bought it for me because she knows how much I love those little monsters. I’ll write a review of the book as soon as I’m finished reading every last wonderful word of the book. There is one line in particular that I read this week that I have been thinking of constantly.

In the early years of Sesame Street and the Children’s Television Workshop things just seemed to work out, even in the most trying circumstances when there was little logical reason for hope. Joan Ganz Cooney often quoted E.B. White during that time. E.B. White is quoted as saying “If you’re going to be in New York, be prepared to be lucky.”

This saying can be construed a few different ways. E.B. White could be that if we want luck to find us in New York, then we need to always be prepared. Do our research, be ready to articulate our dreams and beliefs, have a plan for what we want to do and where we want to go and how we’re going to get there. White could also mean that we have to be open to luck finding us. We need to have an ardent belief in luck, that it is inevitable that good fortune will smile on us.

That saying has helped me keep my head up a little higher this week. It’s kept me looking up at the stars, even though my spirits have been down in the dumps. This is a lucky town if only we are willing to open our eyes and minds and hearts to give that luck a place to land within our lives.

apartment, feng shui, good fortune, love, luck, wishes

Shifting energies

Christa Avampato

Some days New York beats the hell out of the best of us. Like a job, no matter how much we love it, it can’t love us back. I got a parking ticket (unfairly I might add – so I’m fighting it), I had a hard time getting around the city for a work project due to construction (which seems to be happening in every neighborhood), the wind was blowing so hard my lungs hurt walking outside, and then I got booted off a subway due to a suspicious package and once I walked to a new train station, a racial fight broke out in the car I was in (right next to me). And this all happened in one day.

I ate dinner with my friend, Brooke, and we talked about energies that seem to be shifting in the world. Sensing that something is happening in the world that is signaling change. Big change, and not bad change. Just a movement, something new on the horizon. Brooke is feng shui-ing her apartment. I have a Dummies guide to the art and though it sits on my bookshelf, I have not once picked it up to help with my current apartment even though my sleep cycles and energies have been completely knocked off kilter. 
Yesterday I started working on the corner of my place that deals with relationships. Previously, I had my junk box there. A recycled cardboard box decorated with some lovely wrapping paper. And in that box I would put all the stuff I couldn’t find another place for, and eventually it became a place that I put all kinds of things that I didn’t want to find a home for at the moment. A dumping ground. My love life. Brooke looked at me with something akin to horror. “You need to fix that.”
So I did. We can’t always force circumstances in our lives; it could be argued that we can never force circumstances in our lives. Rather than pounding the pavement and fighting for what we want, sometimes we need to prepare ourselves and call good fortune to our door. Now I just hope that good fortune is listening.     

luck

How did we get here?

Christa Avampato

Luck never gives; it only lends. — Swedish proverb

Life has funny lines. They divide moments of “aha!” from “huh?”. They separate moments of magic from moments that are just a good time. And there are times when we stumble on luck, or maybe luck stumbles on us. It sticks around for a while and we think we’ve hit the jackpot. Somewhere along the line the shine dulls a bit and so ends the honeymoon period of a new venture.

This happened to me recently and I began to question whether or not I was in the right place with the right people. That familiar old flight response began to kick in, to take hold. The I took a deep breathe, kept at what I was doing, and when I finished I went home. I went to bed, woke up, and started again. There are hard days ahead; there will be tough decisions. Not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

After the honeymoon period ends, we really get down to it. Luck enters our lives, and falls away. It’s the falling away that contains the real learnings, about ourselves, about those around us. We discover our sense of commitment and loyalty. The incredible part comes when we see luck fall away and keep going in spite of it. And then it returns, as mysteriously as it left us in the first place. You have to wonder, is luck ever really there at all or is it our dedication that breeds good fortune? We aren’t giving ourselves enough credit. Rather than attributing favorable circumstance to luck, we should consider how hard we worked to get where we are.