career, change, courage, entrepreneurship

Leap: Today I’m Trading My Corporate Job for a Freelance Life

Christa Avampato
Thanks to my friend, Trish, for sending me this photo this week!

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anaïs Nin

Today is that day for me. After many months of thinking about taking the leap into full-time entrepreneurship, I’m ready to go. My desk is clear, my email inbox is empty, my to-do list is done, and I’ve said all of my good-byes (which are really more see-you-laters.) Now there is nothing left to do except leap. June 15th will be forever etched in my mind as the day when I chose to be free, the day I chose to take the leap and build my wings on the way down.

I had an incredible run during the toughest economy we’ve ever faced. For 4 years I had a front row seat to the economic crisis – its unraveling and its knitting back together, albeit more loosely and in a different form. I met some of the very best people I’ve ever encountered, and some of the worst. I learned from all of them and will be forever grateful to each for helping me to find this new path, my path. I leave my corporate job with a lot of heart for the company and the people, and even more gratitude.

As Milan Kundera so brilliantly wrote, I now understand what it means to experience the unbearable lightness of being. That is exactly how I feel – as if I don’t even need wings, as if the wind will just rise up and allow me to float to the other side. It’s so empowering to take my future into my own hands. I feel like I could just tear my dreams right out of the sky and plant them here on Earth. Like Adele, I could set fire to the rain. Freedom feels that good.

And to all of you, I owe an enormous thank you. Ever since I started this blog 5 years ago, ever since I set the New Year’s resolution 6 months ago to make this leap, you have been cheering me on and offering up your own stories – through comments, emails, tweets, texts, and conversations online and off. I wish there was a way to adequately say thank you. There isn’t. The best I can do is make the most out of this new road and take you all right along with me.

Take my hand. 1, 2, 3, jump…

career, change, entrepreneurship

Leap: Stop Waiting For The Other Shoe to Drop; It Won’t

Christa Avampato

Perhaps I have a serious case of rose colored-glasses but I actually think I look younger since giving my notice at work.

Tomorrow will be my last day at my job before jumping off the cliff to work for myself. I keep waiting to bolt upright out of bed in a total panic. A funny thing keeps happening: the closer I get to the goal, the more solid I feel in the decision. I’ve never felt so sure of my path and I have to admit that there is a lightness creeping into my being. I’m walking taller; my mind and heart are opening in ways I never thought possible.

After so many years of looking around for the perfect job, I finally understand that creating that job is up to me. It’s empowering to be firmly in the driver’s seat and to have an unexplainable trust in the wisdom of the Universe to work out the details. All I had to do was commit, show up, and be prepared to take the journey. Come along with me – I can’t wait to see what lies on the other side.

grateful, gratitude, television

Leap: Mr. Rogers Asks Us to Take 10 Seconds of Silence to Think of the People Who Helped Us Be Who We Are

Christa Avampato

I recently saw this video on KarmaTube of the acceptance speech Mr. Rogers gave when he was presented with an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement. In it he asks all of us to take 10 seconds of silence to think of all of the people who helped us be who we are. Though it was a short and sweet speech, there is a strength and emotion in it that leaves everyone who watches it with a profound sense of gratitude. Have a look and follow his example. You’ll be glad you did.

Video from KarmaTube

business, career, entrepreneurship, technology

Leap: Got a Technology-based Startup Idea? LaunchHouse Wants to Hear It!

Christa Avampato

The world just got a little brighter for tech entrepreneurs who are looking for a combination of funding and support to launch their ideas out into the world.

Introducing LaunchHouse: an Ohio-based seed capital investment fund, like Y Combinator or Tech Stars, will invest $25,000 in 10 technology-based entrepreneurial teams from around the world. And the best news is that you still have time to grab your shot at being one of the 10 brilliant teams to receive funding.

What is LaunchHouse looking for?
New startup technology-based companies with 2-3 cofounders, 1 of whom must be a programmer
Willingness to relocate to Cleveland, Ohio for a 12-week, full-time commitment to the LaunchHouse program

What kinds of applicants is LaunchHouse looking for?
High school graduates to baby boomers, LaunchHouse is looking for the 10 best ideas for new startups from around the world. Period.

When is the application due?
July 1st

What happens once all of the applications are submitted?
In July, there will be an “un-conference” where the 30 top teams will be invited to Cleveland to compete in a pitch session to clinch one of the 10 final spots in the program. Then the top 10 teams roll up their sleeves and get to work for 12 weeks building their dream companies.

What’s the goal of LaunchHouse?
Identify 10 promising teams of entrepreneurs and work with them over 12 weeks to launch their new companies and set them up to either raise follow-on funding and secure their first paying customers.

Your dream of entrepreneurship could be just an application away. Stop waiting. Start doing. Apply here.

communication, encouragement

Leap: Keep Feedback in Perspective

Christa Avampato

Feedback is everywhere. Everyone will offer up their advice, unsolicited or otherwise, on every aspect of your life. It can be incredibly helpful to collect these critiques and opinions. It can also be downright dangerous and soul-crushing. So what’s a thoughtful, sensitive, eager-to-always-improve person to do with all these opinions? Keep what bolsters you up and throw away the rest.

This doesn’t mean that we should ignore feedback that gives us ideas for places we can improve; it just means we should only take feedback that’s clear and constructive. Recently I got feedback that praised my enthusiasm, then in the next breath said I should consider being less enthusiastic so I appear more grounded, and then in the next breath said I was really grounded. Huh?! I thanked the person for their feedback and then left it right there where I found it.

I’m all for feedback because I’m such a huge fan of continuous improvement. However, the only feedback that helps us improve is feedback that’s clear, concise, and given with a sense of support. If those 3 criteria aren’t met, do yourself a favor – accept it with grace, push it aside, and move on. Focus your energies on doing the work you’re meant to do with all the magnificence that is you.

creativity, education, teaching

Leap: The Making of a Teacher

Christa Avampato
Image from mrsashie.tumblr.com

“Anyone can be an instructor; what you need to work on is being someone’s teacher.” ~ Mel Brasier, ISHTA Yoga Senior Teacher

“I don’t teach what I own. I own what I teach.” ~ Mona Anand, ISHTA Yoga Senior Teacher

Today, I’m halfway through my advanced yoga teacher training program at ISHTA. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what makes a teacher. Anyone can learn material and the words to communicate it to someone else. Anyone can stand at the front of the room and give directions from memory. But that doesn’t make someone a teacher.

A teacher can take what she knows, discover what her students need, and then find a way to dynamically marry the two.

There’s a lot to be said for preparation, for planning out a safe and purposeful class. It requires a tremendous amount of knowledge and practice. But it doesn’t make someone a teacher.

A teacher is someone who is prepared as much as he is aware. He has the courage to take everything he planned to do and throw it away for the sake of serving his students and their needs in the moment. He can bravely change course when he sees that there is a better way forward.

Teaching has very little to do with the teacher and everything to do with the student. Teaching is service. It requires that we show up, tune in, and give freely to those around us.

health

Leap: 10 Ways to Be Healthier

Christa Avampato

I love simple directions.

future, meditation

Leap: Mind to Body, Body to Mind

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

“Connecting the mind and body is not just a health strategy. It is a movement of consciousness that can change the world.” ~ Matthew Sanford

This morning I read several news stories about the latest medical news on annual physicals. A number of doctors are now saying that annual physicals below age 50 are a waste of time and money, for individuals and for the entire healthcare system. I paused when I heard this information as I have been going for annual physicals my entire adult life. These medical professionals aren’t saying don’t go to the doctor nor are they saying don’t get recommended routine exams. They’re just balking at going to the doctor for the simple sake of going to the doctor. If you aren’t feeling well, get checked. If you’re feeling good, you’re fine.

Just after reading these articles, I came across Matthew Sanford’s quote. I’ve been a fan of Matthew’s since reading his book Waking a few years ago. He changed my yoga practice and informed my teaching through his words and experiences. The connection between mind and body, and it goes evenly in both directions, is critical to our health and happiness and has a tremendous impact on the world around us.

When we’re tapped into our essence, when we’re on our path, the world rises up to meet us. It supports us in our pursuits. We come into contact with exactly the people we are supposed to meet. We end up being in the right place at exactly the right time to learn exactly the lessons we are meant to learn.

When considering this pursuit, the question I most often hear is “How will I know when I’m on the right path?” I can only tell you how I knew. I knew it in my bones. My body could sense when I was going in the right direction. I overrode its wisdom for a long time until I was finally so tired and worn down that I had to sit still and listen. My mind was so good at covering up my tracks on the wrong road that I didn’t even know I was tired. I thought I was fine. And I wasn’t.

As I sat and listened, I could hear a whispering way off in the distant. It had an urgency but not the clarity I needed to hear its message. Over the course of several years, I had to keep sitting and listening. I had to keep getting quiet to get another small piece of the puzzle. I would hear that small bit of wisdom and then try it out to see how it felt. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it worked for only a short time, and sometimes it didn’t work at all. And still I would listen; I would wait for more information; I would tap in.

I offer to you the same opportunity. It’s there for all of us. All it requires is patience, curiosity, and perseverance. Your road is out there, too. It will call to you and when it does, you’ll be ready.

career, change, creativity, work

Leap: Here Comes the Sun

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

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” ~ Arundhati Roy via Daily Good

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of change whispering in your ear and it’s not taking no for an answer.

One unexpected consequence of taking a leap into the new future of a career by my own design is that I now want to take everyone I know right along with me. Since giving my notice at work, the overwhelming number of responses have fallen into the following 2 categories:

1.) “I wish I could do that.”
2.) “I want to do that, too. Can you help me figure out how? I need some inspiration.”

My answer to #1 is, you can. My answer to #2 is, yes of course I’ll help you. I’ve also been so pleased to hear that so many others are planning their own leaps and are on the path to launch in the not-too-distant future. I couldn’t be happier for them because I know what awaits and while that carries its own risks and stresses, it’s pretty damn amazing to feel the flood of creativity that follows the leap.

The new world of how to merge our greatest passions with how we earn a living has been around for a long time but she is gaining steam now thanks to technology and our own evolution. She’s heading your way. Be ready. (HINT: Chris Guillebeau‘s new book $100 Startup will help you prepare for this brave new world of work. Review coming soon…)

change, clarity, courage, meditation, yoga

Leap: When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Keep Breathing

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

“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.” ~ Marilyn Monroe

I went to meditation class on Monday night and settled in to my seat as I’ve done many times before. Nothing seemed unusual about the beginning of my practice but I was in for a roller coaster of surprises. This is a short story about riding the wave, never giving in, and committing to the long haul.

In a couple of weeks I’m meeting with an accountant to get myself set up as a corporation as I transition into doing more freelance work. I need to come up with a name for my company and I’ve been running up against a wall because of some underlying angst. Since making the leap last week, I’ve been wrestling with how to reconcile my professional interests in product development, writing, and teaching yoga under one corporate roof. I hoped that my meditation class would bring about some inspiration.

As soon as I settled down and closed my eyes, I knew something was wrong. In less than a minute my eyes were tearing up and tears were rolling down my face. My whole body began to feel very heavy and weak, my legs were falling asleep, and I started to feel dizzy. I stretched my legs out in front of me and pins and needles started firing from my feet to my knees. I took a long forward bend in hopes of re-grounding myself. It helped a bit, but not much. I contemplated leaving the class but decided to try to breathe through it. And I’m so glad I did.

With each breath, I felt myself releasing something that was old and stale, something that needed to be sent out to pasture and never heard from again. I’m not even quite sure what it was. Maybe old perceptions of myself or the world, maybe fear and anxiety, maybe a hard shell that had outlived its protective purpose. Underneath, I could feel the green sprouts shooting up, struggling to break new ground, reaching for some air and sunlight. A new day was dawning.

Change is hard. It hurts. It’s scary ad int’s uncomfortable. But if we are willing to hang in there and do the work to cross the chasm, something amazing is waiting for us on the other side and that something is us. We are making our way to exactly who we are meant to be and once we arrive home to our own authenticity, we will look back and realize that all of that work was worthwhile. The journey is long and arduous. It’s full of surprises, good and bad. Don’t turn back. Breathe, and keep going.