“Kicking off” this year with the story of Alexandra Yotsova – one of our great clients. Why the quotation marks? Because the “kick off” phrase doesn’t fit well with the effort and depth that Alex’s journey of personal development entailed. She didn’t just “kick something off” – she transformed with conviction, and that was certainly not easy.
There are ups and downs when we transform and grow. They make our paths that much more valuable. Each one of us “kicks off” multiple times. We fall and get back up. We fight our fears, and it is always worth it, but it also rarely feels pleasant.
Because of these realities, we feel privileged to introduce you to a fighter and the example that she gives. Enjoy the story and use it as your own inspiration.
Hi, sure. Well, my name is Alexandra. I am 47 years old, and I am from Sofia, Bulgaria. I am a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a woman and date I say - a lot of other things too. My formal, university education is in pedagogy, and nowadays I work as a freelance trainer and facilitator. I am interested in and passionate about environmental protection. I love riding my bicycle and have many creative hobbies. For many years I was devoted to my family. That turned me into what I used to refer as: "permanently unemployed" person. Even though it was my decision to focus on this side of my life, that made me confused and unfulfilled.
I’d say I have recently restarted my life…
Prior to starting my coaching sessions, I had almost no knowledge around how coaching actually works to be honest. Once I began, I realized that this is a very practical, psychological, approach to working on the important topics of my life. I like that I can determine the direction in which we work, and I can also somewhat influence how deep we enter into my inner world.
Firstly, the practical exercises through which we enter into the “major” topics and the specific conclusions and the guiding principles that we reached with my coach at the end of a session. That was definitely a highlight for me.
Secondly, the outside perspective that the coaching conversations enabled me to have. I heard and saw myself from another angle. This helped me immensely to distance myself from the topic and to look at it through a more objective and pragmatic lens. These conversations made me able to take on a more impartial stance and have more courage when dealing with challenging issues.
Thirdly, the fact that we used a “focus forms” prior to each session. I answered reflection questions and set an intention for my next meeting. This really helped me document the journey and to see the progress. I was often surprised by my own achievements. Without the focus forms, they would have remained unnoticed and taken for granted frankly.
Those three approaches jump to mind immediately. There were a lot more but let's stick to my initial reaction.
In a synthesized form, my success after the first 6 sessions consists in the fact that from a housewife with a boring life and low self-esteem, I returned to an understanding of myself as a person who actively makes decisions for their life and takes action. This may sound trivial to some but it was MAJOR for me.
As a result, I started work, negotiated the conditions under which to work and rest; I took responsibility for my development and responsibility for the influence I have on others (short-term and long-term); I gained confidence and built up my self-esteem. I also have a better understanding of myself as a dynamic being that is changing and evolving. I am more tolerant of my "quirks" and have reduced judgment and negative thoughts. I approach fears not as scarecrows, but as a temporary condition to be mastered.
Start without a worry! The worst that can happen is that things stay as they are. What I would advice is perhaps that it is useful to determine, at the very beginning, some prameters of communication and approach, because for me this was very key and led to good results (I wanted everything to be super practical).
I am very happy to say that I actually don’t! I am free of that. :)
This is awesome! Thank you a million for sharing a snippet of your journey. We hope that above all your story provides an example and demonstrates that even when one is scared or has been leading a particular life-style for long - they can take back ownership and enjoy a renewed sense of self.