adventure, New Years Eve

Beautiful: Here Comes the New Year. Time for Adventure.

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

As I’m whipping up some goodness from leftover Christmas feasts, my attention moves toward reflection. This year held so many surprises. I had no idea how it would unfold. I just knew that I wanted to focus on being true to myself by making something beautiful. I’ve been writing about his journey every day all year. I went out into the world to find beauty and I worked on creating it in my own life. It’s been a year of purpose and it feels amazing. The year coming up will hold a bit more structure and a bit more focus:

– I’ll produce the play I wrote, Sing After Storms, at the Thespis Theater Festival in New York in June.
– I’m working on my book, Your Second Step.
– I’ll run the New York City marathon in November.
– I hope to take two big international trips – one to Africa and one to China and Japan, both to visit friends who live there.
– I’m hopeful that I’ll add several new steady content development clients in January.

Just writing down these bullets shows me that 2014 will be an incredible year of transformation and growth. Much to learn, see, and do. I’m ready for the adventure.

creativity

Beautiful: College Student Jackie Tuner Finds a Family for Christmas on Craigslist

Christa Avampato
Jackie Turner

I saw this story on CBS Sunday Morning. Jackie Turner is a college student in Sacramento and though she’s acing her way through college, she longs for something she’s never had: a family. The story of what she did next is incredible. She placed a Craigslist ad for a family to be with on Christmas and found so much more in the process, for herself and many others. This inspiring story of honesty and coming to grips with the past made me want to find a way to play a part. Sending lots of love this Christmas to Jackie and all the people who share her feelings and experiences. Even if you feel alone today, please know that there are many of us who want to help. Like Jackie, all you need to do is ask.

Christmas, simplicity

Beautiful: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Simplicity

Christa Avampato

Today focus on all the joy within you and around you. Enjoy the moment. Relish the simplicity. Merry Christmas.

From Pinterest
From Pinterest

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes.

Christmas, happiness

Beautiful: On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Joy

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Remember that your natural state is joy.” ~ Wayne Dyer

It doesn’t take any effort to be happy or joyful. It does take effort to unburden ourselves, to cast off guilt, disappointment, and sadness and that effort comes from not doing these things, from not taking them on. Joy is inside of us and it wants to shine. It wants us to take it on and wear it proudly. It wants us to embody it and spread it around to others. Joy looks good on everyone and we can never have too much of it so cultivate it in yourself and encourage it in others in great big glorious heaps for the holidays and every day.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

Christmas, freedom

Beautiful: On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Freedom

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Of course I want more freedom in the world, a greater sense of peace and much less conflict. Freedom in the world starts with the freedom of an individual’s heart. Freedom to pursue work we love. Freedom to travel, speak, write, believe along whatever path feels right to us, and respect that this level of freedom belongs to everyone, even those who have paths, beliefs, and dreams different from ours. That’s the kind of freedom I want for everyone – freedom to be whomever we are at the very core knowing that we will be accepted, celebrated, and appreciated for it.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

Christmas, passion

Beautiful: On the Ninth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Passion

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too.” ~ Kristin Martz

Let’s not temper our sense of passion, our enthusiasm. Let’s lay our hearts and minds on the line and wear them on our sleeves. Let’s share and encourage our deepest dreams. Let’s let the size of our hearts be the guidepost for the size of our efforts. We now have the tools to create a world that is exponentially better than the world we now call home. Technology, knowledge, medicine, and vehicles for communicating, organizing, and getting things done. To get their full utility, we must first commit to our own truest ambitions. We must decide the impact we want to have in the world and then roll up our sleeves to put our passion to work. Let’s do this.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

Christmas, inspiration

Beautiful: On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Inspiration

Christa Avampato

“May the space between where I am and where I want to be inspire me.” ~ Tracee Ellis Ross

Anything can inspire us. Art, music, words, actions, stories, food. It is everywhere and in every thing. We inspire and are inspired. Everything we do, everything we say, can be a light for someone else. We are often unaware of our impact, the power we have to shape and influence the paths of others. We don’t always see the connections between the dots, how our paths intertwine and connect. Sometimes we miss the dots altogether. What we can be sure of is that we matter. That others, all others, matter, in the deepest and most wonderful ways. Nothing is inconsequential. Every situation and every person in our lives, no matter the size of their role in our days, is here for a reason. To inspire, to teach, to learn, to help us evolve into the very best person we can be. In that way, we always have someone and something to be grateful for. We always have a reason for giving thanks, and that reason is inspiration.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

balance, Christmas

Beautiful: On the Seventh Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Balance

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” ~ Albert Einstein.

Balance doesn’t mean to constantly keep our lives in neutral. It is a beautiful dance. We constantly move between the act of speeding up and slowing down. We get happy and sad and happy again. We stand on the highest peak and descend into the lowest valley. We climb and fall. Balance is the act of moving between the extremes with the knowledge that this journey is part of the ebb and flow of life. We will have our emotions and our mistakes. We will falter and question the purpose and value of it all. Balance is our attempt to understand what happens, and why, and how to use the lessons we learn along the way. Balance is not perfection nor is it an ideal; it is the purposeful act of searching for alignment. It means standing as tall as we can in our current circumstances. Balance is not a destination, it is the journey itself.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

Christmas, grace

Beautiful: On the Sixth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Grace

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“I do not understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” ~ Anne Lamott

As long as we live and breathe, the pressures of life will always be with us. We will face stress, disappointment, and loss. There is no way out of that. As the great yogi Dolly Parton once said, “If you want rainbows, you gotta put up with the rain.” How we face our difficulties over time, how we reflect on them and allow them to shape us, depends upon our level of grace. They can make us better, or they can make us bitter. In the immediate aftermath of something upsetting, we process. We give space and time to heal. We grieve, and then hopefully we grow. We see other people grieve, and we extend our hands, hearts, and help. That is the power of grace – to support us in our time of need and then to give us the strength to support others when they need us most.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes. 

Christmas, generosity, gifts

Beautiful: On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Let There Be More Generosity

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Generosity is the best investment.” ~ Diane Von Furstenberg

We have so many ways to give, and so much to offer to one another. It’s the great conundrum of our society that there is always someone else who is having a tougher time than we are. And yet this knowledge, while sad in some ways, is incredible in other ways because it means we always have the chance to make life better for someone else. Generosity is the vehicle for goodness, and it’s at our disposal of every hour of every day. There are endless opportunities for us to express it, appreciate it, and foster it. So spread some cheer around everywhere you go. The more you give, the more you realize you have – it’s a wonderful riddle that needs no solution.

This post is part of the “Let there be…” consecutive series of Christmas wishes.