Don't make your life complicated and don't get into unnecessary conflicts

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

Very briefly - with over 14 years of experience in business, with a primary focus on B2B sales of services, as well as team management in the field of human resources. For the last more than ten years, I have actively worked in the IT outsourcing sector in Bulgaria. I have completed two master's degrees at TU-Varna – Industrial Management and Microsoft Information Technologies. My last position was in an international IT company that operates in over 10 countries and I held the role of Site Manager & CEE Talent Acquisition Manager. Additionally, I was a municipal councilor in Varna from 2019 to 2023, as well as a member of the Public Council of the professional high school of economics in the city. In 2020, I received the greatest recognition – the title of senator in the international non-governmental organization Junior Chamber International (JCI), represented in over 110 countries. As a hobby, I strive to share my experience with the young and present practice and knowledge at various events in schools and universities, as well as to go to the gym and swim.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

This is an interesting question, even in kindergarten I loved to play with trucks, buses, and cars. I wanted to become a driver, then I went through the idea of being a pilot. Now I know that the corporate world is my passion.

At what age did you earn your first money? Tell us an interesting story?

If we don't count getting money from parents for doing more serious work at home, then I received my first payments at the beginning of my student years, working as a promoter in supermarkets, as well as on the central streets of Varna. I was the Joker (from Batman and the Joker), I was a cowboy, and I even dressed up as an energy-saving light bulb (at that time, the current LED lighting had not yet entered our market for home users). I had the opportunity to be in different roles and sell to people to earn some extra money and be as independent as possible.

What are the main factors and examples that shape us as individuals at an early age and form our interests? What is your recipe for curiosity, sources and wells of information and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

In my family, books have always been valued. To this day, I dare say that among many of my friends, I am the person with one of the largest libraries. And I am not exaggerating with the word huge.  The good surroundings of friends, good books, good teachers in my early years, good examples, all of them helped me to be who I am today. That's why I love to go out and speak in front of audiences of students and I believe that in this way I can also be inspiring and helpful. And now I even like the following motto: "Poor people have big TVs, rich people have big libraries." …I am of average means and own both 😊

Did any significant difference occur in your perceptions in a more mature age about what motivates you to do or not do something?

People often go through catharses and I would say that they are searching for themselves all their lives. For me, it is no different. For a person to develop, they must try to do many things; stepping out of the comfort zone is not a random expression. Yes, ideally your job is your hobby and you don't feel it, but the truth is, that to understand what you want to do, what you want to be, what you are best at, you have to try many things. Motivation is not as important to me as discipline. Over the years, I have let myself go a lot with my weight, and does that mean I had to motivate myself to lose it? Yes, but I turned on discipline to the max and I train every day for many years not only to lose a large part of the excess weight but also to maintain a somewhat normal weight (even though I am still around 100 kilograms).

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study? Was this decision correct, looking at it from today's perspective?

I am not one of those people who regret anything in their past. I believe that everything that happens in our lives is part of the path we must walk and it had to happen that way. The decision for higher education was mine, as I then focused on promising IT specialties; later I did not work as a programmer, but went through other positions, the last of which was a managerial one in an international IT company. I love new technologies and trends, and this cannot help but accompany me in my development.

Share more about your interests, knowledge, skills, and hobbies?

Thanks to the discipline as I mentioned above, to this day I love to play sports, I believe that I am quite a communicative person, who participating in some networking event will meet the maximum number of people, I have somewhat of an “elephant” memory and this helps me in many situations to see people I haven't seen for months and quickly recall things about what was around them before some time.
I love to collect crystals and minerals, as well as I have a considerable collection of Die-cast models of cars and airplanes.

Another hobby that has recently emerged is indeed cooking. But perhaps I am currently overdoing it with the spices.

Would you change your profession today and which fields of activity capture your interest?

Changes are a good thing and a person is well advised to try different professions while searching for themselves. I note that this does not necessarily have to happen by changing companies, but can be done within one company, as long as it allows and tests their abilities in different structures and departments.

They say that personal branding is everything that people say about you when you are not in the same room with them. What would you like to hear today?

I want to hear that I am sufficiently useful to society, that I am a reliable, trustworthy person, whom people trust and with whom they can share their stories – both personal and professional. A high level of trust in a person is always the key to success.

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills are key conditions for success in recent years. How do you cope with daily life challenges to stay in good shape and mood?

I admit that I am one of those people who try the power of meditation, but achieving a calm mind and “emptying” my brain even for 30 seconds is not my greatest strength. That's why I act with walks at every possible moment, fitness training, and swimming. Traveling to different destinations 2-3 times a year also works wonders. Refreshing ourselves from daily life is one of the most important things, to keep us maximally productive and adequate for as long as possible.

What are the most important conclusions you have made so far for maintaining proper communication considering the different characters of the people you meet every day  – colleagues, friends, close ones?

Count to 5 and breathe deeply before you say something. The most important thing is to remain measured, not to explode unnecessarily, even if it seems extremely necessary to us for a given situation and always to express and defend our positions in a balanced manner. Life is too short to make it complicated and to get into unnecessary conflicts. And again, I note – not getting into conflict does not mean not defending your positions. This is very important to be understood and comprehended by each one of us. There are many characters and types of people, we should always be able to put ourselves in the “shoes” of others and know that we are not always right; we must be willing to accept other viewpoints and to see things from another angle.

What do you think about money? What is their influence on your life? What is your advice to people who often ask themselves questions related to money and how sufficient they are?

Money is an instrument. It is trivial to say that we should not be their slaves and that  the purpose of money is only to serve our goals and desires. For me, it is important to have education among young people on the topic of money and rather on the value of things. We should talk early about investments, savings, loans, and attitudes towards these resources because whatever we say, many things in life happen with money. I will speak again with aphorisms, but “White money for black days”… it is hardly said by chance. We see what uncertain times we live in and each of us must have a good financial culture, as well as a clear assessment of their value when asking for a certain salary from an employer for the amount of work done. Knowing the value of many things in life will save us a lot of unnecessary headaches and torments.

What is the most valuable career advice you would give to people?

Always be true to yourself and listen to your intuition! Life is not exactly a competition and at every moment, each of us should strive to be better than our yesterday's self.