Whatever a person says, they only depict themselves

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

Anita Stanimiriva, Master of Law from SU “Kliment Ohridski”, lawyer, syndicate, founder of Paint Me Paint & Wine Studio, TV host of the show “The Secret of the Entrepreneur”, mother of two wonderful little girls

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

It turned out that like all children, I dreamed of becoming something that in adulthood I wonder how I even thought of it.

In fewer words: I dreamed of becoming a lawyer and I did. After more than 10 years in the legal field and one birth, I made a sharp turn and now I am a business owner of an Art space.

At what age did you earn your first money? Tell us some curious incident?

I earned my first money at 7-8 years old from reselling snacks. We “ran” the trade in partnership with the neighbor's child at a foldable table in front of their entrance. The project “dried up” in 2 days. However, at 11 years old I was already working regularly at a lingerie stand in a store in Veliko Tarnovo, which my mother shared with two other women entrepreneurs. And so until I finished my secondary education and moved to study Law in Sofia.

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

In my opinion, both in childhood and in more mature age, the personality is built where there is a deficit, where there are problems, and where actions need to be taken. The universe does not tolerate a vacuum. But still, people are born with different mental and creative potential, and there is no universal recipe for the development of certain personality traits. If difficulties have built and mobilized me for development, then someone else may be seriously broken by them.

Otherwise, my recipe is very simple. Move. Learn. Seek. Don’t allow yourself to fall behind. Life is dynamics. Be a river, not a swamp.

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

Yes, a cardinal one. As a child, I grew up with the postulates “What will people say?”. In mature age, I realized that people said nothing at all. They are mainly interested in themselves. They also have the ability to remain silent when they have something to say and to speak when they have nothing to say.

So now I move from the question of what I will say to myself later about my current “I” and whether I will like the results of my actions. In short: I have discarded vanity and invited courage.

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

The decision was mine. My mother preached the maxim that with great freedom comes great responsibility. Therefore, I carried the responsibility and still carry it myself.

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

By education, I am a Master of Law from SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”. By work record, I am a lawyer with over 10 years of experience. By inner drive, I am an entrepreneur. By interests, I am an analyst of the human soul and mental potential. By skills, I am the soul of the company, a speaker, a storyteller, and by hobbies, I am a passionate reader and writer of poetry. Oh yes, I am also a TV host of a show about entrepreneurship.

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

Things are shaping up in such a way that I change my profession abruptly every 7-8 years, so “YES”.

My mother insisted that I should not engage in Law, but it would be best to study to be an actress. Who knows, now that I think about it, I would engage in public speaking because I believe that throughout the millennia, enough has been said and written, but still, there are few people who can speak with true enthusiasm and infect the audience with their ideas.

They say that the 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 already hear it regularly: You are strong, inspiring, good, and successful. I don’t know how people come up with such things (laughs), but for me, that is more than enough.

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 stay in good shape and mood?

What is success actually? A series of failures? On one hand, the earlier life sends you challenges, the sooner you learn to deal with them. You learn to adapt, to change tactics when necessary. But all of this is practice - you cannot learn ballet while reading about it. Therefore, action, practice, taking responsibility, and facing challenges is the best school for everything. And of course, analysis. Present, reasonable, and accurate analysis of what certain actions lead to and whether we want such consequences.

And for good shape and mood, personally, I find that conscious feeling of gratitude helps me – that today I have the opportunity to wake up and do something good for someone.

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, relatives?

I do not take anything personally. When someone acts in a certain way or says something I don’t like, I rather ask myself what the problem is with them, with him, around him, rather than why they are behaving like that with me or with a given situation. It is important to realize that the people around us have a certain capacity and potential for action. There is a saying that whatever a person talks about, they only depict themselves.

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?

In my opinion, money is a tool. If we imagine that once in Egypt, workers were forced to carry stones for the pyramids while being whipped on their backs, then nowadays money is that whip for the clerk at the desk. And yes, in this reality, money is important, but not everything is money. Not every price has value behind it, and not for every amount is it worth sacrificing time, family, personal experiences.

In my opinion, people should start improving their financial literacy and seek ways to build stable foundations for accumulating wealth – intellectual, spiritual, material, etc.

There are people who live in the countryside, eat what they grow, and are much healthier, calmer, and carefree than many millionaires. Who is happier in this case?

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

Life is a dance floor where opportunities dance with those who have already dared to step onto it. Throw away limiting beliefs, roll up your sleeves, and take action. Nothing good comes easily, but nothing that has come easily is particularly satisfying. So make yourself a gift – get yourself a new pair of shoes and, even if they give you blisters, dance so boldly that everyone on the dance floor envies you for your masterful dance 😊