People often don't realize that the coaching process is much more complex than it seems at first glance. It takes a certain level of courage, readiness, and a whole lot of work. There is, in a sense, "the good, the bad, and the ugly". Today we’d like to introduce you to someone who rose to the challenge and embraced both siddes of the coin while leveling up - Yordan Bradushev.
We are super pleased that he took the time to answer a few of our questions. Yordan is a client that inspires and pushes limits with a smile on and a fighting attitude. We have the honor of knowing him and hope you’d enjoy the feisty presence as much as we do.
Well, first of all “hi” everyone. You know my name, now. I am 24 years old. My interests are mainly in the IT and entrepreneurial areas. I studied business management and worked in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) field for several years, mainly as an account manager. I gradually transitioned into programming (Java) and since earlier this year, I began doing it professionally as a full time job.
"Adventurous, spontaneous, an emotional rebel… honestly, it’s tough to think of yourself in a few words. I really don’t know. Hope three is enough :)"
Yordan is an awesome, energetic person who isn’t afraid to change professions, strives for novelty and definitely has some courage to stand before us today. As the conversation progresses, he shares that one of his favourite authors is Mark Twain.
The stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have left a bright sparkling trace in his heart. This revelation adds a final touch to his introduction. Yordan’s youthful, perhaps a little mischievous, and searching character is balanced nicely by his sense of responsibility, duty, and dedication. Let’s dive in.
“I think the world needs less carelessness.”
He says that without hesitation.
“We need to be more responsible, conscious,and really present in each moment. Today, it’s so easy to slump into the "grey", mundane, rat race and get stuck in one place, metaphorically and literally speaking. People don't realise that there is so much more they can do to have a fulfilling existence.”
With a good heart and sympathetic nature, Yordan is always ready to help others. As for himself, he is a bit more strict and certainly doesn't wait around for miracles when it comes to achieving his own goals. One deep conviction he holds is that in order to achieve his aspirations he has to rely solely on his efforts. In line with this belief, he answers our next question with a flavour of magic.
"Maybe it's a banal answer, but I wouldn't use it for myself. I would rather solve some of our global issues and achieve a philanthropic goal such as world peace, environmental stability, no hunger, etc. I don't think I need to fulfill my personal desires thorugh a magic wand because I would like to reach those by the merits of my own qualities and effort. "
Since high school, Yordan has had a keen interest in psychology. He thought it carries a powerful possibility to positively affect the dynamics within a person and subsequently to change his/hers performance in the outside world. He had a very vague idea of how it actually works in reality but nevertheless he was fascinated.
His first encounter with coaching was because of his exploratory nature. He "bumped into it" on main stream social media channels. He found that there is a difference between performance and life coaches and started consuming content that was relevant to his interests and personal development needs.
"I would definitely say that the word 'work' is a key part of the process (he laughs). I would not say I had a good enough assessment of how much mutual effort this process entails and how much work must be put into it in order for one to achieve a sufficient (for my standards) result.
I realised that many things are distorted in our own heads and they are not what they seem. This also led me to a perhaps another key realization - always respect the journey! I think my persception has really deepened and changed.”
“I decided to book my first coaching session because I felt like I had hit an obstacle in my development that I wasn't sure how to overcome. It felt I was in a rut to be honest. I wanted an outside opinion from a qualified professional in the hopes that this would save me time and effort. I remember that I used the ICF Bulgaria website and read the profiles of different coaches at the begining. I choose a few that seemed like the right fit and contacted them. That's how it started.” he says.
Going through the step of interviewing potential coaches is an extremely important piece of the puzzle. It ensures that your sessions will be at the quality you need. Many people tend to neglect this but Yordan had the benefit of not relying on previous recommendations. This served him well.
"I thought that the worst that can happen is losing a few hours and the best is to actually increase my efficiency and productivity. I must say that those initial expectations were significantly exceeded because I got a lot more out of coaching. Now, I adapt to the circumstances in my life a lot better and this has helped me relate so much more to the process than the destination.”
But let's not idealise the experience. The road has not exactly been easy.
"...the most challenging thing has been to overcome myself. Sometimes it's hard to admit your own mistakes, but it's the first step to fixing them. I always thought I’ve spent enough time on getting to know my own personality, and it's been hard to face the fact that despite all efforts dedicated to coming closer to “the best me”, there was still a lot I didn’t know, didn’t look into and a lot that I could do to positively adjust the mindset with which I do things."
“For me, the results have manifested as a lot of reflections and subsequent decisions about where I am, who I want to be, and what is the way to get there. I wouldn't say the process has always been extremely enjoyable, at least in my case, but I think it’s part of the overall experience and it all helped me make positive changes in my life. Looking back, the only thing I could say to my past self is “go ahead and work on yourself through coaching. It will help you – jump with courage.”
Yordan is an admirable example of someone who’s got the guts to keep battling with what’s difficult until it becomes easy.
"Coaching doesn’t give you ready answers that would be set in stone or presented as “facts”. Instead, it helps you reach decisions and outcomes by yourself. That's the most valuable approach in the long term, but God knows it's a difficult one."
"The path to self-improvement looks a lot like a sprint, but it's actually a marathon." - he shares
“Reflecting on my own case, I think what I understood is that one doesn't have to make drastic changes from day one, but it's important that each day we hold on to the intention to be better than yesterday. This is what makes the actual difference.”
As a person who dealt with his fair share of difficulties in life and managed to pull himself out, Yordan has built an extremely purpose-driven character that wants to help and lift up those around him. When he encounters someone who feels lost, perhaps a bit discouraged, or simply someone who doesn’t see the meaning of their efforts anymore, the advice he tries to give is this:
"When you feel like nothing makes sense, the best thing you can do is find respect for the path you're on, inside yourself. "
Then dig deep into the root cause of what makes you feel as if nothing matters. Don’t shy away from consciously working on these things and keep fighting for your goals, because in the process is where you can find the most precious meaning. The game looses meaning and is only truly over if you stop fighting for what you care about. So, don’t.”
"First of all, I hope it changes their lives for the better (laughs again). Then I'll just tell them to have fun. No matter where, when, how and why, just try to have fun.”
We all can learn something from the light-hearted and inspiring person that Yordan is. He carries a unique view of the world. Life is never easy, but sometimes it is enough just to keep trying with a smile on your face despite all hardships!
"There is good in you – spread it and the good will grow."
Hope you enjoyed this interview as much as we did.
You can connect with Yordan Bradushev on LinkedIn @yordan-bradushev
Best,
Viktoria & the ILC team