Tag: future

creativity

In the pause: Magic plus action = dreams realized

Christa Avampato

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~Roald Dahl

This weekend, I decided I was going to spend this week doing two things:

    • Believing something magical would happen with my job search
    • Working my tail off to make said magic happen

I believe in the power of articulating our dreams. I believe that wondrous things can blossom from good intentions. I believe that commitment makes meaning. And…I think that belief is not enough. We have to work—diligently, consistently, and over a long period of time—to make our work work. Our magic isn’t separate and apart from our actions; action is the highway that magic rides upon. Without action, we’re just wishing and waiting. We can do better than that, for ourselves and for each other.

creativity

In the pause: You already believe in miracles

Christa Avampato

“We live on a blue planet that circles around a ball of fire next to a moon that moves the sea, and you don’t believe in miracles?” ~Anonymous

You already believe in the miracle that is this planet so why not believe in the miracle that is you? Your strength and ability to rise is infinite. Don’t shrink. Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t let anyone or anything steal your light. Glow, and spread it around.

creativity

In the pause: Advice for surviving tough times

Christa Avampato

I talked to a neighbor this weekend and learned that she’s also a yogi. She’s had a rough couple of months. She’s working hard to clear out her life and restore peace. There are remedies for surviving a tough time.

Give it space.
Give it time.
Talk it out.
Walk it out.
Read it out.
Celebrate small victories.

Understand that this is all temporary. Everything. All there is, in the end, is change. The shifts won’t always be comfortable or quick, but let them happen. Something better is falling into place.

creativity

In the pause: How to reorder life’s messy moments

Christa Avampato

“It’s all messy: The hair. The bed. The words. The heart. Life…” ~William Leal

Sometimes this is how life feels—messy. We want everything in order, in place, fixed, neat, perfect. I get this in moments, but overall life seems to trend much more toward messy. It’s nature. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that there is a natural tendency of any isolated system to degenerate into a more disordered state. In other words, entropy naturally increases unless there are outside influences that restore or re-balance the system.

If we apply thermodynamics to our very illogical, emotional human lives, those outside influences are critical to prevent the systems of our lives from disintegrating. Friends, family members, passion projects, exercise, eating well, hobbies, art, books, spending time outside. All of these forces help to re-balance our messy lives. They help us restore some sense of order, peace, and equilibrium. Life will always tend to entropy. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help to put it back together. We can only fight entropy together.

creativity

In the pause: The future you want is out there

Christa Avampato

It’s been said that there are an infinite number of parallel universes where every scenario of your life is currently in existence. That’s a pretty trippy thing to consider but today I’m going to let my mind expand and imagine that’s true. Makes things a little easier, doesn’t it?

creativity

In the pause: How to make today count

Christa Avampato

“Each morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~Buddha

I’ve been a little wrapped up in the activity of the weekend, some of it good and some of it not-so-good. I had a bit of day, as they say, whoever they are and they would be right. The thing is, we’ve got to do our best to let it go. I am the queen of hanging on so I understand that this is a tall order. Let it go. Exhale it. Stop worrying, thinking, churning, and obsessing over what doesn’t serve you. I get it. Yes, we’ve got to let it go, and it’s very difficult to do that.

So what if we did this, instead? What if we just promised ourselves to learn from it? What if we paid forward the experience to our future selves? What if we could accept the idea that “tomorrow I’ll do better” is enough? I think it’s worth a shot.

creativity

In the pause: Learning to love my missteps

Christa Avampato

“You made a misstep, but you were walking in the right direction.” ~Frank Reagan, Blue Bloods

Sometimes the best intentions and efforts don’t get us exactly what we want or exactly where we’d like to go. Life isn’t always a linear path. (My life is never a linear path!) I used to bemoan my missteps and chastise myself for making them. On occasion, I still do. Maybe you do, too. This quote above gave me a different way of thinking about my missteps.

I’ve always put my best foot forward in everything I’ve done and because of that, I’ve started to look at my efforts over time rather than only as individual events. Over time, the missteps in the right direction added up to something larger than the sum of its parts. They added up to a life and career that has been anything but dull and something far more exciting than I ever imagined they would be. So what’s next? Who knows? But I know it’s going to be in the direction of building a better world.

creativity

In the pause: Bloom with grace

Christa Avampato

“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.” ~French proverb

We don’t always end up in the place we want to be. No matter where we find ourselves, even if it’s less than ideal, there’s something to learn. If you’re in a place like that right now, look around. What can you do with what you’ve got right now? Can you gain a new skill, meet a new person, or help someone? Where you are now isn’t an accident. There’s a reason for it. Learn the lesson, and then gracefully move on to pay it forward.

creativity

In the pause: The point of life and work

Christa Avampato

“Isn’t that the point? To apply what we know and what we’ve done in new ways?”

This is what I said to a friend of mine over the weekend. She’s interviewing for a new job that leverages a lot of her skills and interests. It’s a brand new industry for her, and she was feeling nervous for the interview as a result. Look, friends, if we aren’t taking risks, trying new things, and learning, then what is the point? Adaptation is the cornerstone of life, literally and figuratively. The world is changing so fast—in 5-10 years we’ll likely be working in industries and roles that don’t even exist yet. The best we can do is work hard, learn, and be good to other people as we go. Truly. Don’t be afraid of applying your talents in new ways; just do it. It’s what we’re all going to have to do.

creativity

In the pause: Enjoy the act of writing as much as the written piece

Christa Avampato

“I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” ~Anna Quindlen

This quote popped into my inbox at just the right time. I am almost done editing the galley of my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. While I gave myself a short timeline to turn this around to my editor, I’m also making a concerted effort to enjoy this edit, the last edit I will ever do on this book for this print run. If there is joy in the doing, it shows in the done. And I want that joy to come shining through to everyone who reads these words.