Motivation is the positive energy that nourishes the soul

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Vera Karaiivanova. I have been in the marketing field for nearly 20 years. I have worked from the side of media, agencies, and clients, which gives me a 360-degree view of the entire process of making magic happen. 

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

The dreams of my generation were very valuable. They were focused on the little things, while the big thing was, for example, to have a small Balkan and a sled. I remember how for New Year I would receive an envelope with treats and for 3-4 weeks I would carry that envelope everywhere until everything in it was gone. There was no oversaturation from variety, the senses enjoyed it for a long time, there was focus on detail. I lived, grew, and dreamed in the present, for the little things, in every respect. Otherwise, dreams back then were framed in the following professions – doctor, veterinarian, ballerina... No one dreamed of being a technological innovator, influencer, etc...😊

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

I started working at 19, in a car rental company, as an office assistant. I earned 120 leva a month, smoked Davidoff (I don't smoke anymore 😊) and usually took a taxi to work. Looking at it this way, the standard of living back then was quite good. 😊 After a short time, I changed jobs to the next one and there the pay was much higher and my God, I thought and felt truly rich. 😊 This was the then well-known company BTC. I started as an international operator, which was considered a “big deal” and you had to have “connections” to start there. As strange as it may sound, back then, if you wanted to call Spain for example, you had to call through BTC's international services. A funny fact is that Italy was our transit zone for “problematic” calls and very often, when we needed assistance from them, it turned out that they were on strike, and they would strike several times a month. Kudos to the determination they had back in those days. Here we touch on a very deep topic, but yes, rights are given, rights are defended, and new rights are fought for!

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

I will repeat myself, the time in which I grew up shaped me as a person. “Not having” shaped me as a person. I was from the masses, my parents did not have opportunities, they did not have dollars and marks, we did not shop in KOREKOM, but they gave me everything within their means. That makes you a good person, that builds your value system. Interests were formed by the environments I found myself in, not so much by family, but by the people I met – the so-called awakeners in every field. Awakeners in a professional aspect, awakeners as personal examples of valuable behavior and upbringing, awakeners for curiosity... Working and learning simultaneously teach you responsibility, discipline, and perseverance.

Has there been any significant change in your perceptions in more mature age about what motivates you to do or not do something?

Of course, yes. In young years, motivation happens rather unconsciously. Something motivates you, but you don't reflect on it, you just go with the flow and experience it fully. Today, if it doesn't come on its own, I seek motivation purposefully and build upon it. I find it and take the maximum from this energy because motivation is positive energy that we take in and experience. It nourishes the soul.

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study? Was that decision correct, looking at today?

I would say it was universal. At first, I was directed towards the humanities, later I turned to something more practical.

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

“To delve into the soul”, mine, of the person in general. This truly occupies me, especially as the years go by. Perhaps a person, walking towards the end, increasingly focuses on spirituality, thus naturally getting closer and returning to the “great”, of which they are a part. In this regard, I read many books related to psychology, and I take my “decoration” from poetry. This is also part of my passion, namely writing poetry. There I say and express everything that I cannot formulate at the moment in a given situation, everything hidden, unspoken, everything that sometimes I wanted to scream.

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

I would not change marketing for another profession. I have talked with colleagues from the market that a person who has worked in marketing can easily realize themselves in almost any other profession/business. You can plan, manage, control, and direct processes, you can market any product in the right way. A marketer is equal to a thinking person, a person providing solutions and finding ways to deal with situations.

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?

A person is what people say about them, but not all people. There are many unclean people, malicious. Especially if you find yourself in a toxic work environment, I certainly do not think that the opinion of toxic people is what you are. What I have learned over time is that constructive feedback/criticism is truly useful. However, it is very important how this feedback/constructive criticism is given to you, because if it is meant to hurt you, it is one thing, if it is meant for you to improve, it is another. In one case, people are bad/unclean, in the other, they are well-meaning.

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

If there is something that more people certainly say about me, it is that I am a positive and good person and that is enough for me. Emotional intelligence is a state of mind or here I return again to the spiritual. Empathy is equal to humanity, it is a measure of how much of a person we are from 1 to 10. But emotionality at work is considered something not very practical and I tend to agree with that statement over time. And yet, I have not stopped to this day showing my emotions, but I am now much more moderate.

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

Listen to what people want to say. Never look at a given situation one-sidedly. At the end of the day, be a good person!

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 important. Yes, health is the most important, but sometimes it is also bought with money. An example is all those needy sick people who die because they cannot afford, for example, “treatment abroad”. The question is, how insatiable can you be? How far do you move away from being human, having more? How much do you help others when you have? These are the questions...

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

Seek balance. No extreme is healthy. Work, but don't forget while working to live and be a human...