Category: time

change, courage, creative process, meditation, time, yoga

Leap: Only Actions Create The Future

Christa Avampato

“Actions are the seed of fate. Deeds grow into destiny.” ~ Harry S Truman

There’s a pesky saying that travels around the yoga world from time to time. There’s a call to stop doing. The seed of this sentiment comes from a good place. There’s a lot of value in stillness, in quietude. When we get quiet, our mind’s eye sees more clearly. When the chatter subsides, we’re able to solve challenges with more confidence and insight. In peace, we gain direction.

This place of stillness can feel so good that we are reluctant to come back down. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could just stay in that meditative state for a good long while? Yes, and no. The power of yoga and its many benefits make little difference on that 12 square feet of sticky surface. Their value comes to bear when we leave our mats, when we go out there into that great big world and actually do something with our clear minds and renewed sense of purpose. It’s good to stop doing for a bit, but eventually doing is what life is about. To have an impact, we have to take action with a clear sense of focus and direction.

Think of all of the historical figures whom you admire. My list is topped by people like Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. It’s filled with people who are writers, artists, musicians, innovators, inventors, and scientists. I admire them because of what they did. Their actions inspire me every day to show up in this world in the best way that I can so that I have a hand in crafting a world I want to live in.

I’m all for rest and relaxation, but I’m also all for making that rest and relaxation purposeful. Purpose is found in the actions we take with our hearts, minds, and spirits united. We can’t think, nor meditate or yoga, our way into a better and brighter future. Ultimately, we have to do something with the peace that comes from what we practice on our mats.

time

Leap: What Is The Point of August?

Christa Avampato

Have you been thinking of packing it in for the remainder of the month and heading to the beach? Or at least wishing that were possible? Me, too.

Because of its heat and slow demeanor, I’ve often thought that the only good use of August is vacation. This year, I have a new perspective and motivation for this lackluster month. Some people say it’s all in the timing. (David Ives wrote an entire play celebrating this idea.) I think it’s actually all in the planning. With the minimal demands of August, use this time wisely to get yourself ready for a busy Fall that lies in wait just around the corner.

After Labor Day, people get back in the swing of things as we turn our attention to the homestretch of the year and possibly toward our plans for early next year. Though we may no longer be tied to a school calendar, the school year schedule is firmly cemented in our behavior. It’s a time for starting-up and to start strong, you need a plan of action.

Here are some ideas to make August as useful as possible:

1.) Make up a list of 5 people you’d like to work with. Take advantage of the back-to-school sales and buy some professional stationery that conveys your personality. You read that right – actual paper on which you will use a pen to create a hand-written note to each of these people. I am as big a fan of electronic communications as anyone but a hand-written card to your dream collaborators is a novel move that gets noticed. I’ve been doing this for years and it’s been an effective avenue for breaking the ice. Recently, I set up a very exciting connection that I’ll be telling you about in the next few weeks, all thanks to a hand-written note in which I enclosed my business card (also printed on paper.)

2.) Work on a fun project (or 2 or 3) for your portfolio. My friend and collaborator, Michael, is the Founder of Third Place Media. He has filled up his plate this month with fun projects that he enjoys, enhance his skills, and expand his portfolio. Quite an effective use of August time. I’m excited to see what September holds for him, and for the rest of us engaging in builds this summer.

3.) Rest and rejuvenate. What? Didn’t I just say August should be used to plan? I sure did, and that means making sure you are in tip-top shape for the Fall – mind, body, and spirit. And there are no shortage of ways to do this: read a book, learn something new, draw, paint, go for a run along the water on a sunny day, hang out with your pup in a beautiful park, whip up a new recipe thanks to all of the amazing produce now in season, got to an art show, listen to live music, see a play.

4.) Use this down time to seek out sources of inspiration and relaxation. The more relaxed and inspired you are, the more inspiring you’ll be to others and nothing attracts busy, helpful bees more than inspiring honey. Need ideas for inspiration. For ideas, see #3 above.

5.) Connect with old friends and make some new ones over tea, cocktails, or a meal at your favorite sidewalk cafe. Your network will take you everywhere you want to be.

Here’s to a productive August that makes for a successful Fall for all of us!

adventure, time

Leap: Don’t Let Time Slip By You

Christa Avampato
Big Ben, London. Image from Pinterest.

“To be human is to be aware of the passage of time; no concept lies closer to the core of our consciousness.” ~ Dan Falk

August 7th?! We have less than 5 months left in 2012.

Every year, time is picking up speed, or rather I am becoming even more acutely aware of its passing. Time has always been at the forefront of my mind for several reasons. My father and 3 of my 4 grandparents died when I was very young. When people responsible for my very existence left this plane, it made the reality of my own mortality a very palpable thing.

I’ve come up against my own mortality several times in my short life. In college, I was robbed at knife point in the subway station on the University of Pennsylvania campus. In 2009, I was almost trapped inside my apartment building after a fire broke out on the first floor. The only things that saved me were my unconscious intuition that something was very wrong with my kitchen floor heaving up and down (the fire was raging in the apartment below, unbeknownst to me at the time) and my will to live beyond age 33. In 2010, I was on a flight when my plane was struck my lightning. We made a frightening emergency landing in Syracuse, New York, and once we hit the tarmac, the wing of the plane promptly fell off.

How’s that for a series of wake-up calls? Universe to Christa – LIFE IS SHORT!

Once you realize your own sense of mortality, one of two things happen: you either go into a deep sense of denial or you realize that you better make the most out of every single moment because the next moment is not guaranteed. By some great miracle I was born without even a hint of the denial gene, so I had the latter reaction. Once you stare death in the face several times over, and live to tell about it, there isn’t much that’s going to scare you away from doing exactly what you want to do with your time.

This causes me to have a trait that people either love or hate – I call it as I see it and play it as it lies. I’m not saying I’m right, but I’m always honest and try very hard to remain true to that honesty while upholding the rights of all people to believe something different. I don’t beat around the bush in any area of my life. I believe in ripping off a band-aid when it’s outlived its purpose. I don’t have time to live any other way.

And you don’t either. No matter how long our lives are, in the grand scheme of things they’re very short. Whether you realize it or not, time is ticking away and your opportunity to have an impact goes right along with it. Time is a resource you can’t buy and once it’s used, it cannot be replenished. It’s the most precious thing you have; use it to the best of your ability. Make it matter.

free, inspiration, time

Leap: Use the Founders of Our Country as the Inspiration for Your Own Leap

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

As I reflect today on the meaning behind the 4th of July, I’m thinking of independence from a new vantage point – freedom and liberation in my work life.

Today I’m inspired by the people who took the Greatest Risk for all of us and founded our nation. When the time to rise up arrived, they didn’t shrink back from their chance at freedom. They risked a sentence of treason and death for the sake of liberty. The risks were high but so were the potential rewards.

In comparison, any leap we take isn’t even close to that scary! They took a chance, a planned and passionate chance, and they worked like hell through tremendously difficult circumstances to create the nation we have today. We are blessed by their courage and taking our own leaps, however large or small, is our way of saying thanks for all that they sacrificed for us.

Now that I’m out on my own, I’m realizing the triumphs and challenges of a freelance life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every morning I wake up and pinch myself – I am so fortunate to have this time and space to work on projects with my whole heart. And after a moment set aside for pure gratitude, I get to work.

The same is true for anyone who takes a risk and goes out on a limb to tear a dream right out of the sky. It’s scary and thrilling, and both of those feelings motivate in equal measure. Sure, you can absolutely be bogged down by the idea of, “What if it doesn’t work out?” But you can be equally raised up by the idea of, “And what if it does?” Rise up out of the bog. Life is so damn short. Do work that matters.

This road ain’t easy but good God it is worth it – today we’re all living proof of that. Happy 4th!

career, entrepreneurship, time, work

Leap: Working for Yourself Doesn’t Equal Leisure

Christa Avampato

People are funny.

Yesterday someone asked me how I was enjoying my life of leisure. Someone else asked me how it feels to have all this free time now that I am unemployed. I was equally confused by both of them and set them straight (quickly):

A.) I am hardly living a life of leisure. I’m working a lot more now for myself than I was a few weeks ago when I was working for someone else. The difference is that now I work on projects that light me up and that I decided were worth my time rather than having someone else dictate work that I felt was largely pointless given its lack of usefulness to just about anyone.

B.) I’m not unemployed; I work for myself and not out of necessity. I chose this path.

Here’s the lay of the land in my new world of work:
When you work for someone else, you set aside a (big) portion of your day in exchange for a stable salary. Usually that time is blocked off on a regular schedule and you get into a routine: getting ready for work, the rhythm of the work day, and then traveling back from work into your personal life. When you work for yourself, the boundaries are a lot less clear. You need to set up your schedule with discipline and you work far more hours for yourself than you do when you work for someone else. Luckily, your passion for the work makes the longer hours worthwhile.

Working for yourself is a huge time commitment. Remember, you’re doing everything yourself – from the mundane administrative work to the big picture strategic thinking. It’s rewarding, but it’s not leisure. It’s work and it takes time.

You keep your current clients happy, you pitch new business, and you research for new leads. That cycle of work has to be maintained to keep the business going. The freedom and the passion you feel for your work provides a tremendous amount of satisfaction with opportunities to constantly learn and grow. It’s a ball and a half but it needs near-constant attention, especially at the start.

This life isn’t for everyone, but it is most certainly for me. I’ve never felt better about my career and life, present and future. There’s so much opportunity all around us and I’m grateful for the time to make the most of it. We only get one crack at this life in this form; every second counts!

books, career, entrepreneurship, time, work

Leap: Your Time Is Priceless

Christa Avampato

Would you run out into the street, open your wallet, and hand out money to anyone and everyone you saw? Probably not. So why would you do that with your time?

Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pam Slim and The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau are must-reads for anyone who has taken, is taking, or is contemplating taking a big leap into a freelance life. They are both loaded with inspiring and practical information.

Of all the tidbits of wisdom and tools that they offer, the one that truly stands out like a shining beacon of reason has to do with valuing time. Nothing will get you to understand the worth of your time more than working for yourself. Pam Slim goes so far as to say that entrepreneurs, and particularly those just starting out, need to “be ruthless with their time.”

Pam and Chris are right on: your time is now at a premium. And not just the hours you may set aside for work, but all of your time. Working for yourself you become acutely aware that your time is your most valuable asset because it is at the core of every decision you make in your business. Don’t just give it away to to everyone who requests it. Treat it like the greatest treasure you could hold because it is.

gratitude, time, work, worry

Leap: A Freelance Life Affords the Option of Saying “Yes” More Often

Christa Avampato

Over the past few weeks, a lot of people have asked me why I left my stable corporate job in favor of a freelance life. “You must be terrified,” some say. “You must be worried about how you’re going to survive,” others say. And still others tell me I have a lot of guts, balls, and courage to make that kind of leap.

I don’t think of it that way at all. I went my own way for a lot of other reasons, and one of them is because I wanted to say “Yes”, or rather “Hell yes”, to requests that come my way to do things in life that light me up.

Yesterday I spent most of the day with my friend, Alex, who is one of my very best friends from business school. She’s in town for a conference and because my time is now my own I could meet her on a Monday afternoon without worrying about a jumbled work schedule that would cut our time short. I pushed a few things aside to later this week and did a more work than usual on Sunday evening so I could be available at the time when Alex was free.

On Wednesday afternoon I’m going to the beautiful studio Bija Yoga because the Ananda Ashram invited me to attend an intimate afternoon tea exploring yoga-based meditation with David Michael Hollander and to interview him afterwards. Two weeks ago, I would have had to send my regrets and decline this invitation. Now, I can accept it with gratitude.

The fear monster has yet to find me as I make my way in this new way to work. I’m sure it’s out there, but I firmly believe that as long as I follow my true calling, as long as I keep pursuing work I love and saying yes to opportunities that bring me joy, I will be fine. I will actually be far more than fine. I will begin to deeply understand what it means to truly live, to be present in each moment. And that is its own gift, its own reward.

business, career, time, work

Leap: My First Day Working Solely for Myself

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

Yesterday was my first day as the head of my new company, Chasing Down the Muse, where I develop new products, services, and programs for companies on the leading edge of their industries and where I teach classes to creative professionals to help them learn how to tap their imagination at will. By all accounts it was the best first day I’ve ever had at a new job.

With respects to time, my day played out like this: I woke up early, had a staff meeting with myself (Phineas was there too), planned my work for the week, gave an in-class private session to my friend, Sara, at ISHTA Yoga, saw Brian (my coach), and then came back home to get going on my weekly goals. I did all of my work on my Mac, had music on in the background, and enjoyed the sunshine as it steamed through my open windows and filled my entire apartment. I made all of my own food right before I ate it and ate it, only when I was hungry, on real plates with real silverware. I took a few walks with Phineas to clear my mind and give him his exercise. It was blissful to have control over my time.

Here’s what I didn’t do yesterday: waste a single moment in a meeting or on a phone call with no meaning, feel frustrated at executing against business decisions I didn’t agree with, nor ask permission to do what I know to be the right thing to do. I felt passionate about my work and empowered to act in every moment.

I felt free, and that is something I’m happy to get used to feeling.

career, time, work

Leap: Freelancing is a Remedy to the Sunday Night Blues

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

While waiting at the elevator with my dog, Phin, on Saturday afternoon I began to run through the list of things I needed to get done before heading to the office early on Monday morning. And that’s when it hit me. I’m not going to the office on Monday morning. In my newly started freelance life, I’m working at home on Monday morning and then heading to the yoga studio to teach a private session. I realized that I wouldn’t have the Sunday night blues that I’ve often experienced over the last few months. That chapter is over.

This realization felt like a dip in a cool pool on a hot day. I let this insight wash over me and sink deep into my skin. What’s more, it motivated me to work incredibly hard at building my own business because it was such a welcome feeling to know that my time is now my own.

Viva la independence!

adventure, creativity, curiosity, time

Leap: Take Time to Be Curious

Christa Avampato

“What we need is not the will to believe but the will to find out.” ~ Bertrand Russell

A company I know recently went through a very large reorganization due to significant changes in leadership. My friends there who kept their roles are being asked to trust the vision and strategy of the new leadership team on blind faith. They are being asked to believe in something that has not yet been proven, that doesn’t even have any results on which to base their belief. In the face of such significant change, this is a tall order.

The company recently surveyed the current employees to ask how they feel about the new strategy. Many felt positive about the changes, though they had a lot of doubt about the ability of the new leadership team to make good on their promises. I smiled when my friends told me that. It is exactly the right answer. We may not be able to control all of our circumstances, at work or in life, but we always have the right to our curiosity. We always have the right, and I would go so far as to say the obligation, to say, “Let’s see how it all unfolds.”

Any time we are going through change, we experience a bit of seizing up. That seizing up can be physical, emotional, or mental. It is just resistance, and we can breathe through it. It’s a very natural part of change. It’s from fear of the unknown. It’s meant as a protective device, though too often it becomes a weight around our necks that keeps us from moving in the direction we’re meant to go.

Our curiosity is a potent tool to use during these moments of seizing up, second only to our breath. When that resistance to change finds us, as it always does, we take a big inhale, then exhale, and then give ourselves the permission to be curious about the outcome. Have the will not to believe that this is the right thing to happen but the will to find out if it’s the right thing to happen to us right now.

Let the questions rise up. Why? How? When? Where? With whom? Dig in to the answers and don’t let anyone tell you that you must follow along simply because they said so. Question until you get answers you can believe in. And if your questions aren’t met satisfactorily, you have the right to walk out and carve your own path. Only you own your time and only you get to decide how it’s best spent. Seek, and eventually, you will find.