Today I want to tell you a story that may inspire and motivate you, or perhaps you will see yourself in it.
Hello, I’m Anna Bugrina, and I’m Mrs. Spain. At the age of 24, I moved to Spain with just one suitcase and an abundance of the most colorful expectations. Beautiful architecture, smiling people, warm wind, and great opportunities – that’s how I imagined my life in the sunny country. In reality, I settled in a cramped room three by three meters, and in addition to this «luxury,» there were 10(!) neighbors. In Spain, they call it Piso Compartido; I call it a nightmare. They smoked endlessly, argued loudly, and littered 24/7. This point became the starting point for my career and life in general. Then I clearly understood that I would either become the eleventh in this «wonderful» company, or break free into the life I dreamed of. And I started to work hard, study, in other words, absorb Spanish culture with every fiber of my being. Within a year, I was already speaking Spanish fluently, dancing Latin dances, and last but not least — I moved into the apartment of my dreams.
Today I am 36 years old and I am a business coach, NLP practitioner, body therapist, voice and public speaking trainer, organizer of TEDx events (www.ted.com, the most significant platform in the world for public speaking), etc. Hundreds of people around the world have found their voice, confidence, and discovered their strengths with me. I started coaching at the age of 14, in another article I will tell you how my mother was able to find a job with my help just in one day!
I have visited over 40 countries and I speak 3 languages, which allows me to work with clients around the world. I am a member of the BPW Canarias Women Entrepreneurs Association, a global community supporting women that even has an advisory body in the UN.
As of today, I have 0 husbands and 0 children. This may seem sad, but not for me. In any zero, I see a circle, and it is very similar to our planet: diverse, internally rich, boundless, and filled with resources.
My life philosophy: A woman is inherently beautiful on her own. It’s wonderful to have a husband and children, but their presence does not guarantee happiness at all. Over the years of practice, I have witnessed hundreds of unhappy women who found marriage unbearable. In the course of our work, we found that they got married only because it was «necessary», because the «clock was ticking», because society would judge them in other ways.
How did we come to judge a man by his achievements, and a woman primarily by her marital status and children? The absence of a husband and children does not prevent me from traveling, working, learning new languages, forming meaningful friendships, enjoying life, and feeling completely fulfilled.
Let me clarify, I am not against the idea of family and children, I am against the notion that they should be pursued solely due to external expectations. I dream of becoming a wife and mother because I have matured, because I am fulfilled, and eager to share life with a partner. I dream of a large family and adopting children in the future. But until then, I choose not to suffer and not to conform to societal standards or opinions, I choose to be happy and as helpful to this world as possible. I am convinced that a woman can become a wife and mother at any age when SHE desires it herself (when it aligns with her own desires).
«Success is not a gift, it’s a habit» – this motto guides my life choices, which you can see on my corporate website (www.bugrina.com). I believe that if you want to become successful, you need to create and reinforce the right habits day by day. By doing so you pave the way to realizing your dreams, as attested by my own journey.
Today, I share my top habits that have shaped me as a person and helped me find stability amidst life’s challenges. So, let’s get started!
Success is not a gift, it’s a habit
Top 5 Habits
of a Successful Woman:
1. Meditation
Start and end your day with a few minutes of meditation. The first minutes after waking up and the last minutes before going to sleep, we are in low-frequency waves, I call this state the door to the subconscious, a time when we can truly create our destiny. That’s why I value this time so much. If you can’t meditate or you’re not yet skilled at it, then just relax, focus on your breath, feel your body, set your intentions for the day in the morning, and practice gratitude in the evening. Your emotional state forms the foundation for everything.
2. Plan, plan, and plan again!
As Mark Twain said, «No improvisation works for me as well as the one I prepared for three days.» Do you plan your day? How about your week, month, or year? For us women, living in a constant multitasking mode, this is especially important. Not only do I make plans, but I also prioritize key focuses, allowing me to concentrate on tasks and maintain discipline.
3. Rest
We’ve reached a point that many find challenging. I’m no exception, but I actively work on it. Let me share a little secret: you need to plan time for rest on your calendar FIRST. That’s the only way, no exceptions! Otherwise, there’s a great risk that amidst the importance of mandatory tasks, you’ll simply forget about rest, resulting in dark circles under your eyes, nervous twitches, and insomnia, ultimately leading to burnout.
Don’t forget to celebrate your victories. It is crucial for your brain to acknowledge and wrap up each achievement. Celebrating comes in various forms: a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a little gift for yourself. When was the last time you indulged in such a moment of self-appreciation?
I’m lucky; I have a built-in alarm clock: my dear companion Oscar, the dog, whose daily outdoor needs prompt me to pause my tasks and join him for a walk. Find time for myself and for celebration.
4. Absence of unnecessary steps
LESS IS MORE.
Did you know that successful people always schedule time for «just thinking» in their calendars? During this time, they do nothing, don’t rush anywhere, and allow themselves to focus on what’s important. After reviewing hundreds of interviews and studying the lives of people I admire, I’ve come to the conclusion that greatness is often created in silence, and fewer steps lead to bigger results. Because in moments of calm contemplation, we generate new ideas, find inspiration to create something significant, while extra movements drain energy and resources. When solving a task, ask yourself: «What main action will give me the desired result?» Focus on it, discarding all unnecessary actions.
5. Everything is created from LOVE
In 2005, Steve Jobs addressed Stanford graduates and uttered a phrase that career coaches and entrepreneurs still quote to this day: «The only way to do great work is to love what you do.»
For years, we’ve been taught that a woman is created to love men or children. And that only such a woman is worthy of attention and respect. In reality, love is like the light of a lighthouse; it begins inside every woman and spreads far beyond her own home and loved ones. And the more love inside each of you, the brighter this light shines and the more hearts it touches.
That’s why every night before bed, I ask myself the same question: «Did I bring a little more light and love into this world today?»
I hope these tips help you form successful habits, find freedom, and feel happy and desired regardless of imposed social roles!
With love, Anna Bugrina!
Nurture the inner strength within you to become a beacon of light, dispelling darkness and bringing warmth and joy. Just like the legendary Spanish sword from El Cid, which symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.
I don’t know when you’ll find your love, I don’t know when your dreams will come true, but I do know who can help you with these matters – IT’S YOU!
I wish for you to meet this special person as soon as possible, that is, your inner woman. Free, happy, living by your own rules, without constraints and without boundaries.
We are surrounded by beacon people who illuminate our path. They generously share their light, making us stronger, more confident, brighter. I have such people in my life, and I have become a beacon for hundreds of my students.
Today, I want to direct the light of my beacon towards achieving goals. Have you ever put in a lot of effort, yet the desired goal remains elusive? What’s the secret? Why do some achieve their desires effortlessly with a smile, while others struggle?
The answer is simple: FAITH! You must unwaveringly believe that your dream is achievable. But… It’s easy to say, but how do you do it?
Our limbic brain always resists change, even if it will be positive in the long run. Today, I’ll share with you a technique that will help outsmart our conservative brain and believe that absolutely everything is possible, and there are no limits.
«The One.» You’ve never heard of this technique anywhere else because I invented it, and until now, only my clients knew about it. So, I’m sharing the most valuable thing from my treasure chest.
A little backstory. Let’s go back about 20 years. I was only fourteen. I had just experienced my parents’ traumatic divorce, and my mom had just recovered from a complex surgery. We had no money, none at all. We literally had nothing to eat, and hope of finding a job was fading with each interview rejection. Despite the hopelessness of the situation and my youth, I believed that I could support my mom so she could find a job very soon.
That day, the technique «The One» was born.
I asked my mom to sit across from me, relax, and simply answer my questions.
— How many total job positions are there in our city? — I asked my mom.
— I don’t know…
— Well, let’s approximate.
— About 15 thousand…
— How many of those are job positions in your field?
— About 2000 positions.
— Mom, how many of those do you think meet your requirements: work schedule, distance from home, pay?
— Around 300, — my mom replied.
— Great! Now, please remind me, how many jobs do you need to find right now to meet all your needs?
Pause. My mom pondered… It was evident how this question caught her off guard.
— I think just one. I don’t need more than that.
— And now I’ll ask you the final question. Do you think, out of those 300 job positions that meet your criteria, can you find just one job?
She fell silent and closed her eyes…
— Right now, it seems more realistic to me. Exactly! After all, I only need one position. Surely, there can’t be just one position in the whole city?!
And a smile flickered on her face, behind which stood FAITH. Faith that despite her recent surgery, she would be hired. After all, she only needs ONE position, not 300, 1000, and so on.
Believe it or not, but on that very day, my mom received a job offer, and I realized that my mission is to help people, to be a beacon and guide, to be support and strength for others.
Later, when I became a practicing trainer and coach, I noticed that many clients respond not through emotions but through logic. They seem to have answered the questions, reached the only necessary result, but there’s still no faith. The marker that the technique worked is the body’s reaction. In my mom’s case, it was a slight smile of faith, which I noticed, remember? You might get goosebumps, or the hairs on the back of your neck might stand up, or a spark might appear in your eyes. This means that there is faith, and everything worked because we can still deceive the brain, but never the body!
Hundreds of times throughout my life, I lost faith: when searching for a good job, an investor, or a reliable employee for my projects, when dreaming of launching my program on the radio or getting a scholarship to university. It also seemed impossible to deliver costumes for a competition on my island where there’s no logistics, across several countries in tight deadlines. And it was precisely thanks to the «One» technique that my costumes arrived on time.
After all, I only needed one person who would «accidentally» fly to my island, and the faith that everything would work out!
Have you found yourself in similar situations? Ask yourself the same questions. From larger to smaller. Remember, you only need 1, not 1000, no matter what it is about.
The Bible says, «According to your faith let it be done to you.»
And today, you have acquired the secret tool «The One» to strengthen this faith and become your own beacon. Shine and Believe in Yourself!
