economy, education, school, teaching

Beautiful: Keep It Positive – Another Lesson from Darden

Christa Avampato

bc2863aa70521ea32889f841ae1607c6“We have to be positive, right? What’s the alternative? Anything else is just a waste of time.” ~ Frank Warnock, my Economics professor at Darden

It’s back-to-school time and I’ve been thinking a lot about my teachers lately. I decided to reach out to them to say thank you for the incredible lessons they taught me. I wrote about my marketing professor, Robert Spekman, earlier this week and then sent him a note. Today, I want to tell you about Frank Warnock, one of my Economics professors at Darden. Frank is brilliant, but his brilliance isn’t what set him apart for me. It was his attitude.

Frank taught us the power of attitude in a class during a particularly tough case. The whole class was feeling pretty badly about the options before the main characters in the case and what they were going to have to do to save their company. Frank recognized we were going nowhere fast and to get us to buck up, he uttered the lines at the beginning of this post. They were like a lightning rod for me. These were the words I thought about all the time from 2008 – 2012 when I worked in financial services.

Attitude was, and continues to be, everything. I’ve seen it make or break so many people. My choice to be positive rather than negative, especially when it would have been so much easier to be negative, has kept me going through some very dark times.

I wrote this all out in a note to Frank and not surprisingly, he wrote back quickly. Here’s what he said:

“Hi Christa,
Wonderful to hear from you. And great to hear that you’re doing well and have found something you care about. I often think that one of the most important things Darden students need to learn is what exactly they care about, what exactly their preferences are.

I learned early on that attitude is vital. I absolutely hated a particular job about a month into it, felt that I was misunderstood by the boss, and was very close to being fired (which would have been fine with me). I then started repeating to myself over and over again, every day, “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job”. Within a week or so I forgot all about saying that…being positive helped turn everything around and more or less launched my career. Being positive is at times more difficult – it takes an extra step – but it is always the best way forward.

Best,
Frank”

Now that’s a teacher in the truest sense of the word.

creativity, meditation

Beautiful: From Ah! to Om…: A Meditation Guide for Beginners and Two Guided Meditations

Christa Avampato
From Ah! to Om…: A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

I’ve been wanting to put together a few guided meditations for some time now. At long last, here they are for your viewing, listening, and downloading pleasure! Thanks to my pal, Alison, for prompting me to get this done and out into the world.

From Ah! to Om…: A Meditation Guide for Beginners is just that – 5 tips to help you begin your own meditation practice. Whether you’ve never tried to meditate before or you’ve tried many times before without much success (which was me not that long ago!), these 5 tips will help. With some beautiful images, music, and a voiceover by yours truly, I hope you enjoy this multi-media presentation. Prezi presentation link.

Ujjayi Breathing for Beginners is a guided meditation that shows you how to practice this simple technique to calm your mind and deepen your breath. Plus you can hear what I sound like, at least when I’m teaching meditation. Prezi presentation or audio only. Take your pick!

Chakra Meditation for Beginners is a guided meditation that gives you a little flavor of what chakras are and the power of each one to restore balance to your life. Prezi presentation or audio only. Take your pick!

Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Om…

career, choices, work

Beautiful: Stop Being All Things to All People

Christa Avampato

d9b6e50800e7f3e34529e77d41dec097And now for another installment of necessary truths I learned this summer. After spending my entire life stretching my mind in every which direction, on any subject that struck my fancy, I’ve come to a conclusion: I spend too much energy on the fool’s errand of trying to be all things to all people in every aspect of my work. Just because I can do it all, doesn’t mean I should. To really make my mark and keep my sanity in the process, I have to specialize.

I sat down last week and thought about all of the people I admire who have really driven their fields forward, who have had a significant and lasting impact on the world. I want to be one of those people. The one and only thing they all have in common? They specialized. They got very specific about who they help and how and why. They know their value, shout it from the rooftops, and roll up their sleeves to get the work done with the people they care most about and have the most fun / success helping.

I’m not totally sure what that means for me and my work just yet but I’ve got some ideas. And I’ve still got two more weeks of California sunshine and sea breezes to whisk that answer into my consciousness. I do know that the answer is on the way. When it gets here I’ll be sure to welcome it with open arms and invite it in for tea.

business, determination, opportunity, passion, product, product development, time

Beautiful: A Lesson in Persistence from Life is Good

Christa Avampato

good-yoga-studio-baulkham-hills-meditation-relax-stressMy friend, Moya, sent me this video yesterday. It is a 3-minute video interview with the Founders of Life is Good. Here’s what I love about it:

1.) They are honest about the fact they have made every single business mistake in the book.

2.) By all accounts, they failed for 5 and a half years before they hit upon their “Life is Good” slogan with their mascot, Jake. And here’s the best part – it wasn’t even their idea to put that slogan and character on a t-shirt. They had a ton of t-shirt designs taped to the wall of their apartment and they invited a bunch of friends over to get their feedback on the designs. Their friends are the ones who pushed them to put the slogan and Jake on a shirt and sell it. It was an immediate hit.

3.) They have a very clear, simple, and elegant business proposition: spread optimism. They don’t care what products they make; they care about the message that’s infused into each one of those products. Life isn’t great, and it’s sure as hell not easy, but it is good. And that’s why they want people to know.

Click here to view the video.

creativity, education, fear, marketing, teaching

Beautiful: The Best Class You Can Take Is Practice

Christa Avampato

23252c94afced662d93d9659daff6a69 “The only way I know to get anything done is to work like hell.” ~ Robert Spekman, my MBA marketing professor at Darden

A few years back, I contemplated going back to school to get my PhD in education. Robert was one of my favorite professors at my Darden MBA program and I spent a good amount of time with him during my two years there. When I was thinking of going back to get my PhD, he was one of the first people I talked to.

He was in New York for a meeting so I met him at the restaurant of his hotel and we had breakfast together. I told him about my own history and how my education literally saved my life. I explained that I was a bit worried about applying for a PhD in a field in which I’d never formally studied. Robert told me I had the best experience of all: I lived it. He followed up the line above with this – “Take all the classes you want in any subject. Until you actually sit down and do the work, with your a*s on the line for results, it doesn’t matter.” And with that I put my fear aside and applied.

Things didn’t exactly go the way I had hoped. I only applied to one school, Columbia’s Teachers College, and I didn’t get in. (You can read about my rejection letter here.) It turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. And I never forgot that conversation with Robert, nor the lesson he taught me. I use his advice all the time. I’m grateful for his support, but I’m even more grateful that he didn’t coddle me with exclamations of how great I was, or intelligent, or talented, or any other load that he could have told me to just move the conversation along. He showed me that I already have what it takes to have an impact in a field that means a lot to me. I didn’t need another degree; I just needed to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

children, education, media, video games

Beautiful: Short Film I Worked on For National STEM Video Game Challenge

Christa Avampato

Hi all – fun video post today. This is the short film I worked on for the National STEM Video Game Challenge. It highlights the incredible work of kids in New York City who attended our fantastic workshops on video game design. It clocks in at just under 5 minutes and the insights from these kids will leave you hopeful about our future. Let me know what you think!

business, entrepreneurship, mentor, SXSW

Beautiful: Grab One of My Remaining Mentor Slots at SXSW V2V

Christa Avampato

It’s almost here!

The inaugural SXSW V2V conference in Vegas runs from August 12th – 14th. I’m giving 6 mentor sessions to new and would-be entrepreneurs on August 13th. Half of them are already gone. If you know someone going who might want to spend some time with me in one of my remaining sessions, send ’em on over to this link to sign up: http://mentor.sxswv2v.com/mentors/53.

Thanks y’all!

creativity

Beautiful: Don’t Work; Be More Productive

Christa Avampato
Mark Twain, one of my productivity idols, countered a busy week of writing by taking weekends off to spend with his family, read, and daydream

My summer break in Los Angeles helped me realize the truth in an adage that I have long-loved but only now really understand: “So often what’s needed in a change of self and not a change of scene.” I can, and should, take more breaks and I don’t have to skip town to do it.

I am inspired by this article from the Huffington Post about the un-plugging rituals of some highly productive folks, both past and present. It’s a fun and inspiring read. If these folks can take a break, so can I. And one of the happiest upsides is that it will make my work even more joyful and energizing.

Here’s how I plan to implement my own regular “take a break ritual” when I’m back at home in NYC:

1.) I love to spend my Sunday mornings curled up on my couch with a cup of something warm and tasty, reading the New York Times and watching CBS Sunday Morning. I always learn something new and inspiring. I’ve sacrificed this time too often in the past. No more. On Sundays, I won’t be reachable until noon.

2.) Mornings are a time that I feel reflective and clear. I want to make the most of that time. Of course Phin and I will continue to do our morning gratitude walks (the pup’s gotta get out!). I’m up early by nature so I plan to give them a bit more structure – morning meditation, some gentle yoga, a vegan smoothie, followed by a page of writing (not typing but actual writing) anything that comes into my mind.

I’m excited to see if and how keeping these two rituals change my perspective. Of course, I’ll be sure to report back right here on this blog.

story, writer, writing

Beautiful: Ira Glass Offers Encouragment to Writers – Don’t Quit

Christa Avampato

Ira Glass, I love you. I love you for so honestly putting it out there: storytelling is a craft, an art, and it takes a really long time to get good at it. And the only way to get good is to try over and over and over again. Write. Write. Write. There is no substitute for practice. There’s no shortcut. It takes blood, sweat, tears, and time.

Thank you for encouraging writers everywhere to keep going. Check out Ira’s video: