Our natural talents determine our personal development

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Eli Dimova and I have dedicated myself to the development of the potential and business skills of my clients for over 25 years. I feel like a citizen of the world and love to travel.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

My first conscious memory of what I wanted to do is from around the age of 10 – I always wanted to work with the English language and to do something multidisciplinary, not in one main area. And that’s how it happened. I chose to study Information Technology and Library Science with English – a unique specialty, at the core of which is the understanding of information as an asset and the most valuable resource. Unfortunately, as a specialty for subsequent application, it is not well developed in Bulgaria, but the philosophy and understanding of value still underlie my life and work today.

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

I was 18 years old when I started a permanent job parallel to my university admission. Since then, I have been working continuously, including when I lived abroad. My first job was as an assistant to a member of parliament in the Great National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria – a unique experience that I will never forget.  

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?

From years of experience, I now know that one of the main factors is ourselves and our natural talents. The potential with which we are born forms a certain predisposition for subsequent development. How this will happen depends on other factors, and especially in this initial period, the friendly and family environment is of key importance for the attitudes that a young person decides to approve or reject, and then accept as a role model for themselves. The above influences the choice of education.

Every generation has different sources and wells of information, and how you access them influences how much you value them. My childhood and adolescence took place in a social system with certain restrictions related to access to the quantity and quality of information. Therefore, I have learned to highly value the ability to research and access information, and this is one of the main efforts I make today, to teach my clients how to reach the information they need.

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

Yes, there has been. The source of motivation is mainly an internal talent, although there are also external factors that have a motivating effect on a person. I would say that my main motivation related to my values continues to be as it was before. The accumulation of experience and overcoming various life challenges has influenced my conscious choice in later years about how to manage my motivation today. Motivation is not a static element; it changes over time, and what matters is in what direction.

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

The decision about my education was entirely mine. I have completed several degrees from Information Technology and Library Science to International Relations in Bulgaria and England. To this day, I believe that my decision regarding the direction, type, and place of education is the best decision I have made, and I place it first.

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

Regarding knowledge and skills, I have the privilege of practicing for the benefit of my clients everything I first learned, and then applied for 30 years, first in multinational business, and for 20 years as a consultant for human potential development and business skills to achieve real, measurable personal and business results.

My interests and hobbies are related to exploring other cultures, habits, and customs. I love to travel and immerse myself in the atmosphere of the local way of life, regardless of how close or distant it is from the Bulgarian one. I love to drive, and this is one of the ways I relax. I am one of the prominent nature lovers and spend a lot of time whenever possible, and I also enjoy doing nature photography.

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

My profession is one of the most difficult and at the same time most rewarding, and I would not change it. There is no more satisfying moment for me than when my clients share with me, as happened quite unexpectedly for me several times these days – “The training you conducted for us back then (18 years ago) was the best I have ever attended. It is still at the core of everything I do.”, today a Manager of a leading company in medical technologies.

Another client of mine from 17 years ago, then a medical representative, today a Sales Manager, called me last month to ask me to coach his newly appointed colleague with the words – “Do for him what you did for me 17 years ago.”

Yesterday I provided feedback on a 360-degree tool and Facet5 personality profile, and the Regional Manager turned out to be our client from another company 10 years ago, with whom we still have the best example of good practice with training on The Art of Leading Principled Negotiations. He told me – “I still remember that training very well and apply the technique of ‘stepping out onto the balcony’ in difficult situations”, I remember the other trainings and keep my textbooks. I have created many successful managers since then.”

How can you change such satisfaction, my heart is the most grateful in the world!

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?

Yes, it is probably so. Let’s not forget that human nature is such that we have no other starting position but our own, as well as that we do not work with reality, but with our perceptions of it. For me, personal branding should be, above all, authentic and convey the unique and strong personal characteristics and professional skills of a given identity. But there are also plenty of examples of the opposite. I hear what I would like and what I work for every day for 30 years, and I am grateful.

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 stay in good shape and mood?

They have always been key skills for success, but in recent years, social conditions and expectations of the business environment have transformed very noticeably and quickly in a short period towards a model of retaining and increasing wealth with a smaller but higher quality resource, something that in past periods was not a critical priority.

Maintaining good shape and mood, above all for me, consists of caring for mental hygiene, which is a source of emotional and physical health. It is important for me to live every day in sync with the universe, and faith is the guiding light in every decision and action. I practice a model of awareness in which respect for the different is a source of wealth. I learn something every day, practice gratitude, and develop together with my clients, the relationships with whom are a major source of motivation and positive mood.

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?

At the core of “proper” communication with each person is the individualized approach and assessment of what their expectations are from mutual communication. In my personal life, we choose the people we communicate with. We also choose to share usually with those we believe will meet our needs and expectations. In business, we cannot choose who to communicate with – there we must communicate with a purpose. This means that we must learn to approach each person by striving to get closer to their communication characteristics and achieve our goals together more easily, faster, and ultimately more pleasantly. The key to higher business results lies in the ability for adaptive communication.

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?

Regardless of what we think about money, they are a key factor in how the world works. In my perception, money is the value of invested efforts, time, intellect, and other resources, which is why I respect their expression. I wouldn’t say anything new if I remind you that having a lot of resources does not necessarily guarantee happiness, just as having limited resources does not necessarily lead to unhappiness. This alone should show that matter and its material expression are a consequence, not a primary cause.

What I have always followed as a philosophy and practice is that quality leads to quantity. I consider the question of “sufficiency” to be highly individualized and situational.

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

This is a difficult question if it has to be just one piece of advice. The platform CareerDailyNews.com provides an abundance of valuable advice and experiences shared by many successful professionals and shows that it is difficult to isolate one piece of advice.

And yet, if I can suggest, I will offer two pieces of advice that I apply and will always apply – “Aim High” (Aim High) and “Keep Going”.