In one way or another, we are all influenced by our heritage and roots, whether intentional or not. Even the smallest of actions can be tied back hundreds of years, if you ask the right questions. Maybe it is the way your mother cooks rice, adding the slightest bit of butter for a creamy taste, or the game of Mahjong you play after dinner while sipping on hot tea.
For our friend Petia, a former dean of admissions turned consultant, the word вдъхновение (vdŭkhnovenie,) the Bulgarian word for inspiration, comes up regularly on her mission to connect aspiring leaders with outstanding educational opportunities. For many, inspiration can be a motivator, a junction, a source of excitement, and the beginning form of action but for Petia, her inspiration stems from something deeper: her homeland of Bulgaria. She tells us,
“I was born and raised in Bulgaria but have been living in the United States for 20 years now. A couple of years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to spend an entire summer traveling around Bulgaria. It was a beautiful rediscovery - a country can change a lot in two decades. And there were many places I had never visited before.”
She continues, “I walked into ancient Thracian tombs and through famous Rosa Damascena fields. I climbed mountains and swam in the Black Sea. I spoke to old friends and to strangers, eager to make me feel welcome in my homeland. To experience so much beauty and kindness was inspiring and humbling.”
Even when she is living in a different country, the history and nature of her homeland are her fuel for inspiration, saying that “traveling back to Bulgaria is always a source of renewal” for her. It’s this inspiration that comes from her roots that she uses in her career. She says, “my work is to help aspiring graduate business students in their path to the MBA program of their dreams. In doing this, I strive to inspire and empower. Everyone has a unique, powerful story to tell but sometimes they don't know how to find their voice. So that's my job, to help inspire candidates to get to the heart of what lights them up and to bring it to life.”
If you will, take a moment to think about what inspires you, much like how going back to her roots inspired Petia. She adds, “Вдъхновението е кръстопътят, на който мечтатата среща желанието да направиш първата стъпка,” translated to Inspiration is where a dream meets a desire to take the first step.
This article is part of DIMMI Digest: Roots. Whether or not it comes through in our daily actions, one's cultural background and roots, so to speak, have significance to people all around the world. Much like the roots of a tree, our roots, spreading deep beneath the surface and hidden in plain sight, give us strength, stability, and inspiration as we make decisions throughout our lives. And it is those decisions that get passed down from generation to generation.
