Category: thankful

business, corporation, creativity, dreams, economy, grateful, gratitude, thankful

Leap: A Big Thank You to the Gutsy Female Entrepreneurs of Rent the Runway, Corporate Idiocy, and a Mitt Romney Joke Told in Poor Taste

Christa Avampato
Jennifer Hyman of Rent the Runway

Corporate executive who say stupid things are making it easy for us to set sail on our own venture adventures. While I am angered by their behavior, I’m thankful for our ability to turn the situation around and invest in our own business ideas. When things are falling apart (corporate culture), pieces are often falling into place (new start-ups.)

However, my latest example of corporate idiocy is worth a detailed explanation for the lesson it teaches us about where and with whom to spend out time. This is a story that has to be told. Just when I thought I had seen and heard it all when it comes to the idiotic behavior of some (though certainly not all) corporate executives, another one comes along and delivers another shocking display of poor behavior. Women of the world, brace yourselves for this one.

I recently had the opportunity to hear Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder of Rent the Runway, on a panel of entrepreneurs. Rent the Runway rents the latest women’s special occasion fashions for a fraction of the purchase price. A passionate, intelligent, and creative woman, Jennifer explained that her company is about more than fashion. It’s about empowering women to create extraordinary lives while looking and feeling their best. She explained that the mission of Rent the Runway was so compelling that she and her co-founder were the first female entrepreneurs funded by Bain Capital.

The corporate executive moderating the panel saw this incredible accomplishment as an opportunity to put his ignorance on display for all to see. His response to Jennifer’s story? “Was that Bain pre- or post-Romney?”

And the entire audience (made up largely of the corporate executive’s employees) went silent. No one knew what to say, where to look, nor how to feel. Everyone’s face just dropped. Was he trying to funny? Was he using humor to veil his own insecurities about female entrepreneurs? After spending 30 minutes prior to the panel discussing the value of a growth mind-set to large corporations, why would he insult a guest he invited to speak on the topic? Did he feel threatened by her confidence and ingenuity? (Incidentally, Jennifer was the only female on the panel and the only one to receive this kind of comment from the moderator.)

Jennifer handled the situation with grace, the way I believe she must handle every business situation she faces. Still, my anger was up, way up, until I realized the tremendous gift that this corporate executive delivered to everyone in the audience. Why would anyone continue to work hard for him every day? Why would anyone pledge their loyalty to someone whose ignorance causes him to behave so poorly?

You could see everyone’s wheels turning with the idea, “I need to get out of here and follow the lead of the entrepreneurs on the panel.” And all I could think in response was, “Yes. Yes you do. Give your own business ideas a fair shot at success. Leap!”

This executive is already getting the result he deserves – a complete loss of loyalty from his team; he just doesn’t know it yet. But he will. It won’t be the first time a suit, stuck in his ways, totally misjudged the future of our economy and I have a feeling it won’t be the last. Investors, place your bets. I know which way I’m going. Do you?

grateful, gratitude, thankful

Leap: Thank You Notes Volume 4 – Thanks, Universe, for Preserving My Ignorance

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/katja2/

Here’s my one big thank you for the week: thank goodness we don’t know how difficult some things are until we’ve already committed to seeing them through.

And I’m glad about that. I felt the same way about college and graduate school, about managing Broadway shows, about changing careers. If I had an inkling about how difficult any of these would be, if I had the correct sense of how steep the upward climb would be, I might have shied away from the opportunity. Instead, once committed, I was all in.

I feel this way about my advanced yoga teacher training at ISHTA Yoga, too. I didn’t know how many requirements were needed to complete the program in a few short months and just how and when and with whom those requirements could be completed. I worked out a schedule to complete all of the work, and for a brief second I held my breath. How would I get all of this done by the end of July?! A quiet voice that surprised me as much as delighted me calmly said, “Get to work.”

And then I began to laugh at myself. “Woe is me! I have to go to all of these wonderful yoga classes with these tremendously gifted teachers and learn from them? Wow, my life is really tough!” This training is a blessing. 2 weeks in and already my practice and teaching is changing in leaps and bounds. I feel my confidence and grace glowing and growing. The world looks so different through ISHTA-colored glasses. The opportunity is everywhere. All I need to do is show up with the intention to receive.

gratitude, thankful

Leap: Thank You Notes, Volume 3

Christa Avampato

The latest installment of my thank you notes in a collective format. I’ve also begun to send out my individual thank you notes – whenever possible, I try to send out these notes recorded here on this blog to the actual person, company, or organization they’re dedicated to. I’ll let you know if I hear back from any of them.

Thank you, ISHTA Yoga, for opening the way forward on a new teaching path for me. And for having a sense of humor about it.

Thank you, New York Lottery, for climbing so high that even I, someone who NEVER buys lottery tickets, found it within myself to dig out a dollar and a dream all in the name of more money for education (and the potential to win a whole big pile o’ cash.) And thanks to my mom for the text reminder to do so.

Thank you, man from out west who sat next to me on the subway. He offered his seat to a stranger (without being shamed into it), took up only the 1 seat he paid for, and when people looked at him skeptically he replied, “You city folk really confuse me.” Poor guy. If he’s confused by us on the subway, I can’t imagine what he thinks of us when we get above ground.

Thank you, Sesame Street, for proving that profound life lessons can come from colorful furry monsters who never leave their block. My favorite Sesame lesson: take care of your community and it will take care of you.

Thank you, writer friend Katherine Jenkins, who wrote a beautiful book entitled Lessons from the Monk I Married that shows courage may just be the most valuable resource when it comes to building a life we’re proud of. (Review forthcoming on this blog next month!)

Thank you, Suzanne Collins, for not being afraid to invent a new story for the young adult audience, even in the aftermath of Harry Potter which most people assumed could never be topped.

creativity, hunger, thankful, writing

Leap: Thank You Notes Volume 2

Christa Avampato
Will Ferrell in Casa de Mi Padre

Last week, I wrote my first volume of Thank You Notes in tribute to Jimmy Fallon’s segment. This week I had a few shining and not-so-shining moments:

Thank you, Delta Airlines, for making me fully aware that if I book with miles, then getting me to my destination on time is not your priority.

Thank you, SXSW, for helping me realize that there’s a better way to spend my 9-5.

Thank you, local hardware store, for keeping my wallet safe when I absent-mindedly left it at your counter for a solid 30 minutes before I noticed it was missing.

Thank you, older women, for being the new face of real beauty. Now the rest of us can stop trying to look like we’re 19.

Thank you, Greg Smith, what all people in financial services know but are afraid to say.

Thank you, Rick Santorum, for reminding us what a scary country this would be without separation of church and state.

Thank you, Will Ferrell, for teaching us that we’re never too old to learn a new language.

Thank you, Think Coffee, for showing us that opportunity can be found in the most unlikely places such as a Korean talk show that helped this NYC local business expand internationally.

comedy, gratitude, humor, thankful

Leap: Thank You Notes a la Jimmy Fallon

Christa Avampato

Another leap I’m attempting to make this year is to focus on humor writing. Comedy writing is tough for me – witness my crash and burn sketch writing class at UCB in which only 2 of my 8 sketches were laughable. One of those funny sketches is still kicking around in my head, and it was drawn from real life almost verbatim, so I began to wrestle with the idea of humor essays rather than sketches. An equally tough endeavor, though more my speed.

As practice, I’m trying out this new weekly post format inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Notes segment, which is one of my favorite late night bits. One happy side effect of this endeavor is that it’s helping me to see the humor and comedy in everyday life. When possible, I will actually write and send these thank you notes. I’ll let you know if I get any responses. Let’s give it a whirl for a few weeks and see how it goes.

Thank you, Broadway theatre, for whittling down my bank account while staging revivals that remind me of the originals I saw in my youth. I needed a reminder of my age.

Thank you, GOP, for filling the gap that Grandma the Clown left in the wake of his retirement from The Big Apple Circus.

Thank you, Modern Family, for reminding me that my family is not the craziest version of 5 people living under one roof.

Thank you, WordPress.com, for adding a “Pin It” sharing button. I now have one more much-needed way to spend even more time down the social media rabbit hole.

Thank you, Rush Limbaugh, for crossing the line into inappropriate commentary (again) and angering American women. Finally, your sponsors are coming to their senses which may lead to your show being pulled. We can only hope.

Thank you, army of weather predicting groundhogs. Thanks to your inability to agree on how many more weeks of winter we should have, nature gave up altogether and moved on to Spring.

Thank you, corporate America, for being such an insufferable employer that 1.9 million people handed you a pink slip in January and taking the reigns of their own futures. This is being hailed by economists as “good news.” I couldn’t agree more!

And thank you, Sarah Palin, for reminding us of the trait that’s more important for a U.S. President. “My preference tonight was for the cheerful one. And that’s Newt Gingrich.” I’m sold on that logic!

good fortune, grateful, gratitude, thankful, thanksgiving

Beginning: Let Your Gratitude Show

Christa Avampato

I love Thanksgiving.

It’s my favorite holiday – no presents like Christmas, no question about plans like New Year’s. Just good food, friends, family, and napping. At least for the lucky among us. And if we are lucky enough to have these circumstances on this day, then we spend a lot of time being grateful for our blessings.

Do more than be thankful. Tell the people in your lives how grateful you are for their presence and why. Show up for them the way they show up for you. Listen, support, and extend to them. And then take a look in your community, see who isn’t having the happiest of Thanksgivings, who may not have or see a reason to be grateful, and listen, support, and extend to them.

We’re here to be of service to one another – set your sights on being the strongest link in the chain.

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you so much for being with me on this writing journey. I am grateful for you!

free, government, gratitude, thankful

Beginning: Find Your Ideal to Honor the Legacy of Your Freedom

Christa Avampato

Photo credit: Alison Grippo
“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” ~ Albert Einstein

Holidays like July 4th are a good time for reflection. On your way to the beach, the barbecue, and the fireworks today, it’s well worth a moment of our time to think about why we even have this holiday: a group of people got together and decided that they needed to live free or die trying. It’s a powerful ideal, and not one that should in any way dampen out spirits but rather buoy them up.

Today my mind, heart, and gratitude are with the many people who are overseas making so many sacrifices on our behalf so that we may live free. In their honor, I’m spending some time today to consider what one principle I would stake my life on. What ideal makes me feel so alive that I’d be willing to lay down my life for it? Once we can answer that question, then so much of our life comes in to focus. We know where to spend our time and energy. We know which kinds of people to surround ourselves with. Our legacy becomes clear.

On the 4th of July I’m thankful that my freedom was so important to so many people whom I will never have the pleasure to meet. Making the most of my freedom is the best way to honor them. Our lives are their legacy. Happy 4th!

grateful, gratitude, kindness, thankful, thanksgiving

Beginning: Remembering To Whom We Owe Thanks

Christa Avampato

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” ~ Claude Monet

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” ~ John E. Southard

A friend of mine recently lost her job. I met with her to talk about some new possibilities and how I could help her connect to sources of new employment. For very close friends, I’m always happy to have these types of conversations. I spend a lot of time cultivating and caring for my network for just these types of occasions. I relish the role of being a connector.

Just after my friend and I finished talking she asked me how she could repay me, which made me smile. I didn’t need any repayment of any kind – I have already been repaid many times over. She’s my friend. And honestly, I get repaid every day just to have the opportunity of being alive. This sounds trite, except when I explain that every day I have is just gravy to me. I came very close to not making it out from a fire that happened in my apartment building about a year and a half ago. Until I was out of the building, I didn’t realize how close I had come to a really tragic end of a life not yet fully unfurled. All the repayment I ever need from any good deed I do in this lifetime is the opportunity to breath.

A lot of people have helped my life along to where it is now. Too many to name here though they can rest assured that I remember every kindness, every favor, every ounce of support. Family, friends, teachers, co-workers, neighbors. When I think about all of the goodness that I’ve seen in my travels, the disappointments and set backs are so minimal (even if they didn’t seem minimal at the time that they happened.) That’s why the quotes above by Monet and Southard caught my attention in such a powerful way. By helping people like my friend currently looking for a job, I’m just repaying the world for all its done for me. I’ve only just begun – I still have many more payments forward to make.

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

holiday, simplicity, thankful, thanksgiving

Step 329: Thankful for Less

Christa Avampato

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Good food and lots of downtime with no pressure of gifts or any schedule. There’s a parade with colorful floats, followed by hours of sporting events and a nap or two, and the knowledge that the next month is about having as much fun as possible.

This morning I was lying in bed and counting my blessings, which I am so lucky to have in abundance. I like this exercise because it helps me realize all that I do have, but I like it best for an even more important reason – it makes me realize how much I don’t need. Right before that horrendous day known as Black Friday, this is a good thing to remember. When Phin and I went out for our walk this morning, we picked up the morning paper to find it bursting with retail fliers, some touting that their doors open at 3:00am. That is one thing I certainly don’t need.

In so many ways we’ve been conned (mostly by ourselves) into thinking we just don’t have enough, that we must hang on to everything in sight because it’s about to slip right through our fingers in the blink of an eye. So we stuff our lives and homes with material possessions, pack our schedules to the brim, and still long for more.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for less. A schedule that’s not hectic, a home that has little more than the bare essentials, a good meal that fills me to just the right level, some sunshine, and simple times with my family. These days I’m living with less, and grateful for it because it means I have so much more to give.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The image above can be found here.

family, happiness, harmony, sunshine, thankful, time

Step 202: Making Moments

Christa Avampato

Yesterday, the fam and I headed out to New Smyrna Beach, Florida. We splashed around in the salty surf, hung out on the sand in our sun dome – so much better than an umbrella, collected seashells, and looked for jellies washed in by the waves (my niece, Lorelei’s, favorite beach activity). Perfect temperatures, both air and water, made for a relaxing, care-free afternoon.

My sister, Weez, snapped pictures of us and as I looked at those photos I was reminded of how special days and moments like these will be treasured for many years to come. My nieces are growing fast. I imagined how we’d think about these days when the girls are older, how we’d long for these very moments as life trolls on. I was glad and grateful to appreciate them in real-time, for what they are now and what they will mean in the days ahead.

That awareness is something I’m working to harness. We have special moments all the time; we just don’t always know they were special until they’ve passed. I’d like to catch them by the tail as they whiz by, in the hopes that I can hang on to them for just a little bit longer.

The image above is a picture of New Smyrna Beach, Florida.