View every conversation as an opportunity to become better at something

Introduce yourself with a few sentences..

I am Svetlana, I love to learn, I love meeting people, movement, and the mountains. I value honesty, good manners, and education. Marketing and leadership are my professional passions.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

In childhood I don't remember, in my teenage years - a television presenter.

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

At 16. I worked for a month in a “boutique”. That’s what the smallest stores were called in the 90s, often converted garages, where imported clothes were sold. The most interesting sale I made was of unnecessary furniture. At the end of 2004, we were expecting a second child and new furniture. I advertised the old beds and wardrobe and already in advanced pregnancy sold them to the first buyers for 80 BGN (about 180 BGN today). It seemed like a real feat😉.

What are the main factors and examples, that shape us as individuals at an earlier age and form our interests?

Parents, the closest family. The love for reading and learning, the discipline and moral compass that they instill in us.

What is your recipe for curiosity, sources and wells of information and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

A person either has a need to constantly learn, or they don’t, so I can’t provide a recipe for curiosity. The same goes for inspiration. People, who we feel the need to be inspired by, we see sources everywhere: in a short sentence drawn like a fortune during a motivational lecture; in a book, completely out of context of today’s time; while practicing our hobby; in the game of our favorite team; in the performance of a street musician.
With information, it is important to be careful. The ability to filter it becomes more and more decisive. I receive a daily newsletter from one Bulgarian online media and one foreign one that I trust. I only follow certain people who present objective, even if sometimes uncomfortable, information in their personal profiles.

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

Yes, of course. If we talk about motivation for professional achievements, for a while it meant for me louder titles, bigger teams, more responsibilities. Since I became a business owner (and have the full responsibility for the success of hundreds of people), progress means becoming more skilled at creating value for my clients at BNI Bulgaria, as well as enjoying the journey (which has its ups and downs).
Regarding motivation for personal growth, it is similar: it is now entirely internal for me. I have outlived the period when I needed to be praised, to be admired for running a marathon or something like that. I suppose that with the accumulation of life experience, it is normal.

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study?

Mine.

Was this decision correct, looking at it from today’s perspective?

Yes.

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

I marked them at the beginning. I am interested in personal development, I constantly read on the topic. In 2020, I got certified as a trainer and coach with Maxwell Leadership  and find John Maxwell to be an inspiring speaker and a valuable author of books on leadership and communication.
My most significant skill is to continue what I started, despite difficulties and fatigue. I can listen, I can change. I can also prepare delicious vegetarian food.
My hobbies are hiking, power yoga, and lately (as unexpected and even strange as it may sound to some) – European football.

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

Changing professions - no. Leading trainings excites me. I do it now, only for my clients. One day I could do it for a wider audience.

They say that personal brand 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 am glad to know Svetlana, who leaves people and places better than she finds them.

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills are key conditions for success in the last few years. 

How do you cope with the daily challenges of life, to be in good shape and mood?

A lot of awareness, self-persuasion (“this is just a bad day/period”, “you managed to cope with such-and-such before so many years, you will manage now too”), physical activity (it is life-saving in stressful periods), outdoor walks, developing the skill to be silent, to find myself, to stop, to breathe, to be grateful.

What are the mostimportant conclusions you have made so far for maintaining proper communication considering the different characters of the people you meet daily  – colleagues, friends, relatives?

To listen to hear. To view every conversation or person as an opportunity to become better at something, and not as a problem I have to solve. Of course, sometimes it is particularly challenging because we feel overwhelmed, we are distracted, the last thing we want is more questions. Then it is also important to pause, even for a few seconds, otherwise our irritation will show and prevent us from making the most appropriate decision. Also, to realize (the sooner, the better) that we are different, we perceive information differently, we have different talents. This frees us from excessive expectations, and thus from disappointments.

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?

I think they are a necessary means for a better life for ourselves and the people around us. The more we have, the more we can give back to the community. It is important not to make them an end in themselves.

Advice?

The only way for someone to have more resources available, which I have witnessed in my 30 years of professional experience, is to work more. Everything else is tales and excuses. Yes, maybe there are a few people who receive a huge inheritance, there are, perhaps, also people who become wealthy through dishonest means, but they are a very small part. When you want to have more, you give more: of your time, of your motivation, of your efforts.

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

Keep learning, embrace change and uncertainty. Growth is life (and there is no age for it), the rest is waiting for the end. Or as a popular quote goes: “You haven’t failed until you stop trying.”