Why know your strengths and potential? — When to contact a coach

No, we are not downshifters! We did not plan to enjoy the absence of responsibility in noble poverty. We are serious about success. But only in the area that heats on its own. We also have two children, which in itself is a real reality check. We should have enough money for a year and a half. We sold everything we had left over and didn't spend as much as usual. But if we don’t start earning money in a new role and field, if we don’t succeed urgently, that’s it, we’ll go back to where we started. We don't have it yet French, but that won't stop you on your way to Paris. We'll learn. We have English, and this is enough to get started for now.

And this was preceded by this: Roman was so busy at work that in the evening he could lie silently and look into the UNbeautiful far away. He earned as much as five annual ratings - that's like five stars as a hero of the Soviet Union. I came across information on the Internet about the School of Chefs in Paris. I wrote off... First, my husband and I went on vacation to the capital of France. I agreed with the School (Le Cordon Bleu Paris) that we would arrive and they would show us everything and tell us on the spot... And so Roma returned from it with a questionnaire, a booklet, put it all on the seat of the car in which I was waiting for him, in He started it up in complete silence, turned to me and said: “Well, how much do they rent apartments here, I wonder?”

Napoleon said: the main thing is to get involved in the business... By the way, about apartments. Living in France is not cheap, and besides, you will need 17,000 euros in your account to show the consulate that you have funds for living and that hanging out under a bridge is not part of your plans. The cost of an apartment in Paris (the most modest) starts from 400 euros, plus a deposit (usually equal to a month's rent), plus an agency fee (the same amount as a month +/- 5%), if you rent the apartment indirectly. Utility bills can vary from 40 to 150 euros per month. And insurance for the apartment is about 50 euros per month.

What might seem unusual to Russians in Paris? Velib is a bicycle rental system. At every step. You take it in one place and return it to any suitable place. Breakfast in Parisian style: coffee, orange juice and newspaper. Those suffering can get a croissant. You can recognize a good bakery by turns in the morning and at lunchtime. All shops are closed on Sunday, pharmacies too. In France, it is not customary to give alcohol as a gift, because by doing so you question the taste of the owner of the house. You can't give perfume either. But the dishes will always be in place in the country of the cult of food. If you are invited to visit at four, you should eat before leaving. Before eight, the French don’t have dinner, and they invite you to visit, not to sit at the table, but to socialize. But half an hour before the feast, various pates are usually served, always with fresh crusty bread. There is always a huge dish of greens on the table, something on the grill for something hot, and a board of rich cheeses for dessert. One day, among them, one was proudly reclining with live worms on its crust. In August, the Paris City Hall will organize beaches for those unfortunate people who were unable to go on vacation. When entering the pool from the embankment, you need to take off everything except your swimsuit and hand it over to the administrator. Then you go into the shower, then they spray you with “dichlorvos” so that you don’t transfer any infection. You can also find a line of water sprayers. These are installations that generate water mist. And you can go there with your clothes on.



March 2011. Ticket to the "dream"

We were sitting at Sheremetyevo airport. We had a ticket to Paris, a letter of acceptance to Le Cordon Bleu Paris in our pocket and great faith that we had done everything right. After many years of our office life and a successful career in a large corporation, my husband Roman found himself in the kitchen of a culinary academy. Became a student. It wasn't easy there. But it’s good, because he mastered his favorite thing - cooking. I felt good too, sometimes I just wanted to dance, right on the evening Parisian street. We enjoyed every breath of freedom, and that was exactly what we came for. Life as it is. Not after 18, before which from 9 - a job that, in general, many can only dream of... But we wanted more.

And now we are scattered across Europe - Roma in Paris, eldest son Egor in Moscow, me and my daughter Anya in Dubrovnik. In an ancient house made of stone, we were freezing all the time, but we lived beautifully: we slept on a high four-poster bed, made coffee in an old Turk, and twice a day we went out for a space communication session with France, where our dad was freezing. Also in a nice interior. Our first European winter taught us to appreciate Soviet cast-iron batteries and good thermal underwear. I consider the best gift of the season to be the sheepskin slippers that Mon Cupid gave me.

We explored the Dubrovnik Riviera in detail over three months. The sea is always cool. The beaches are rocky and pebble. Most swim in special gel slippers. The beaches are well maintained. Croatia is the best value for money I've ever been to. Cleanliness is the main thing here. Clean sea, houses, tap water. They understand English well, Russian too - the similarity of the languages ​​affects it. Lunch at a restaurant on the Riviera costs 10-15 euros: fish soup, main course and dessert. In Dubrovnik from 30. But I have never seen such a quantity of oil and butter. Everything is served like an island in the ocean - butter. And the people are friendly. The daughter in the store, with a slight movement of her hand, knocked over the mannequin and the shelf, so instead of collecting them, they rushed to her first. Calm down. And wave your hand at me: “Nothing, nothing!”

June 2011. Fulfillment of dreams of warm countries

While Roma was improving himself at the Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris, I spent the whole summer with my four-year-old daughter by the sea. In the small fishing village of Mlini (Croatia). It was scary! After all, we still have only questions and no answers. What will happen to the job, will it be possible to find one after school? Where will we live? Looking for a permanent address or traveling around the world for a couple of years? What if one day we don’t have enough money for a return ticket? But then we thought: what did we want? At this stage, it is normal to be afraid of the unknown. The question is in relation to this fear. It's like turbulence on an airplane. If you are a passenger, you sit and shake. If you are a pilot, then you know that turbulence is like driving on a dirt road, and you calmly drive the machine further.

Then the time came for another dream to come true - to spend the winter with warm sea, near Africa. So my daughter and eldest son Egor and I flew for more than three months to the Seychelles and Mauritius - we settled among the local residents of the islands Indian Ocean and we spent very little money on it. In the Seychelles, you will meet a meter-long turtle, see flying foxes in the sky, take pictures against the backdrop of postcard beaches and ride a mule taxi. And the people there are very open! On one of the countless paths we came across a Creole house, next to which two girls about five years old were playing ball. They invited their daughter to play with them, and then asked if we were Russians. I nodded. One girl ran into the house, but soon returned. “Russian good!” - she said, solemnly handing me a glass cold water. Two cases of shark attacks (not on us!) convinced everyone that they exist. What has been done? There is a rope net on the beaches... Also keep in mind that there is wildlife there, which means a couple of harmless geckos, spiders and even scolopendras can crawl towards you through an open window. There are no regular supermarkets, there are small shops with the basic necessities. The Hindu cashier (all the stores are run by Indians) did some calculations in his head and gave us the bill number (there are no price tags), and we paid. Most of the other buyers signed the debt notebook. No money. As seven o'clock approaches, the islands plunge into darkness. There are no lanterns. Can you imagine tropical island, where there are no cars, a mule cart is used as a taxi, and it is no more than five kilometers long? This is La Digue - the third main island of Seychelles. Everyone here is on bicycles. There are cars on the island, about twenty of them...

It takes two hours to fly from Seychelles to Mauritius. But the difference between the islands is as if they were not neighbors. Mauritius is the most actively developing country in Africa, but they live very modestly. The majority of the population are Hindus, and Creoles and other nations are in the minority. A Hindu temple is adjacent to a Catholic one, and there is a mosque right across the road. Prices for everything are three times lower than Seychelles prices. As for nature, it seems that this is the price that Mauritius has paid for its progress... Renting a house or apartment is a way to save money. We paid 20 euros per day at a residence in the north of the island. There is an abundance of fruit in shops and supermarkets. I'm hooked on coconuts: they come in three degrees of readiness. Those sold in a green casing are only suitable for drinking. The purified ones contain different amounts of milk - the less it is, the more pulp has managed to grow. There is also one without milk at all, but then the pulp is hard.

Meanwhile, Roman received a chef's diploma (he became third in the class) and went on an internship. I stopped thinking of myself in the “ex-HR” format and trying to ignore my many years of experience in this field, wrote a training book on how to sell their potential to newcomers, and plunged into studying career coaching. I also took courses in travel writing and travel photography.

December 2012. Higher and higher...

Before the new year, 2012, we all gathered in the Alps, in the Three Valleys. This was another big dream - the Alps. And we were there for five months. We lived modestly, on a budget. We studied. They made plans - immodest ones. We stopped in a small village, and my daughter Anya went to school there. IN New Year We celebrated not only this family holiday, but also the anniversary of our new life.

And then in May we went to Omsk, where Roma did a French cuisine project for a wonderful restaurant. He and I once worked in Omsk (a long time ago, in the newspaper “I want to work!”)...

In July 2012 we went to Provence. We were ready to launch the “Voyage Gourmet” project - to visit the Chef. We went through some difficult weeks of great doubt, but we did what we love. And we saw beauty next to us. We had time for this! Therefore, we lived life to the fullest. And we also met Chef Maurice there, from “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle, and became close friends. And guests came to our house, for whom we celebrated, or rather, shared ours. We were very tired, but were happier than ever. Provence is an unforgettable chapter in our history...

One day we arrived in Monaco, and a friend introduced us to a restaurateur looking for a Chef. And we accepted this offer and moved to wonderful place, which became our home and main point of arrival.

March-May 2013. However, an entrepreneur in Monaco!

I was going to Moscow for a week. I took just enough things to conduct a workshop, submit documents to the consulate and return. But the order here is to wait for a positive answer. “There is no information that you are going to return” - this was the wording of the refusal to leave. How long to wait is unknown. I was renting an apartment on Lomonosovsky, working: they offered to do a Talent project for one company that had everything except a Talent manager. I agreed with joy.

We moved to Monaco in May. During the May Day days, they somehow still didn’t believe in anything. The warm wind, the sea, sailboats, breakfasts on your balcony, ladies with mini-dogs, exotic flowers and other fragments of reality hardly made their way to consciousness. My daughter, of course, adapted faster and selflessly rushed around on the scooter.

While we were living in Moscow, the government made a positive decision to register me as an entrepreneur in Monaco. With the madam accepting the documents, we even managed to put together some kind of conversation from fragments of her English and my French. We mostly communicated with gestures, smiles and papers, which my prudent husband packed me to the brim - just in case, even though they weren’t on the list of documents. These are the basics of going through the pains - you go to the organ, take everything with you, right down to the dog’s pedigree, if there is one...

You quickly get used to good things. Not only that you, pedestrian, are the boss on the road, stop Ferrari, stop Mercedes. But also to the fact that paper, plastic and other garbage are collected not in one bag, but in three, and then carried into special containers. There is also no front side and back side, I’m talking about the city. Elegant in places. There are many places where it is ostentatious. But it’s clean and beautiful everywhere, whether in the casino square or on some very minor street. Wherever you come, everyone is happy to see you.

I am sometimes asked whether total control of the territory bothers us? Who doesn’t know, in Monaco there are more than 500 cameras and a number of microphones for round-the-clock monitoring. Since we didn’t plan anything illegal, these cameras only make me happy, since they mean zero crime, including our safety. In Monaco we have the feeling of a closed club. The main thing is to get inside, and everything is already there for you. Admission ticket It’s very expensive (for some in terms of money, for others in terms of effort and time), but it’s worth it.

In an hour we walk along the coast through the entire state. The good news is that six-year-old Anya was enrolled in school. Since Voyage Gourmet also now lives in Monaco, I am creating routes for several future groups. These are corporate trips or with partners. Our new concept - “Celebration of life on Cote d'Azur”, and it includes not only food and wine, but also the sea, art, photo walks and so on. Since Roma is now the Chef of the restaurant, we hold master classes, demo classes, dinner parties and all sorts of other events at the La Cremaillere restaurant. I’m polishing my individual coaching program on self-discovery and career reboot. Next semester I’m doing a master class on this topic at the Moscow State University Business School. I was also invited to write for a new media project about Monaco in Russian.

DDecember 2013. Career coach

Winter, Monaco, ours new house. It was a special feeling, because so often we had to unpack our suitcases and pack them again... And here - even on mailbox our names. And a long-term housing contract. And here is my favorite job, to which I myself paved the way. I help people find themselves. I am a career coach and my business is very respected here in Monaco. My clients live all over the world, many in Moscow. And one more thing - we patiently went through all the long and painful paperwork. After all, to live where you want, you need to get permission from many people...

Over these two years, we got to know each other in a way that we would never have known if we hadn’t changed our lives so dramatically one day. It was very difficult because of the uncertainty. But the dream did not let me give up: “Let's dream! That we will find ourselves in some wonderful country where flowers also grow in winter. We will live on the seashore, near the mountains. And there will be no crime there. And you would be a famous Chef there. And so that I also work at my favorite job. And let them live around successful people. And one more condition - that there be a castle there and that it be Old Europe..."

In my personal history and geography, I have worked on the beach, on the terrace, and in the garden in Provence, and it was all office romance. Now I have a regular average home office, winter option. Summer was on the balcony.

10 revelations about Elena Rezanova’s family that few people know

She is a fan of traveling light, but in her suitcase there was always enough room for her favorite pillow made of some tricky orthopedic material.
- Elena and Roman celebrated the New Year 2007 in different parts of the world (and just exchanged SMS congratulations out of politeness), and the New Year 2008 was already one family, with a week-old daughter in their arms. It is curious that Her dad and His mom were born on the same day, November 7th. Elena never celebrates birthdays, believing that the highest meaning is to live them like an ordinary day.
- At the age of 12, the girl Lena had already decided that she would become an international journalist, and at the age of 16 she had a Plan for everything else. At the age of 16, she published her first story, it was called “Birthday” and was about a grandmother who died of loneliness. At the beginning of her career, she wrote for some time to the Omsk newspaper “I want to work!” After that there were 14 years in the field of recruiting and human resource management in a branch of a large foreign company.
- When she first tried French cuisine (this is what her husband now specializes in), she was disappointed, because then she did not know how to distinguish good from bad. Now he dreams of going to gastronomic tour to Georgia.
- About preferences in films. If it’s about love, then “Exchange Vacation,” if about a goal, then “The Fastest Indian,” if about change, then “Chicken Run (animated), if about professionalism, then “The Turning Point.” Paradoxically, she does not agree on a single issue with her closest friend.
- Anya’s daughter has a special suitcase for travel, in which she carried a dozen of her 24 Barbies and a serious Barbie wardrobe. Anyuta is 1 year younger than her uncle, her father’s brother. Anna is the only name that coincided with Roman and Elena in the long lists of names for their future daughter.
- Roman can swear in French, English, Italian. Yes, and in Russian, of course. But he “applies knowledge” sometimes... At work.
- A full understanding of the word “professionalism” came to Elena at the age of 10, when, being a constant reader of all sorts of solemn poems, she forgot the next one, since she was too lazy to rehearse the day before. At the same time, an anti-freeloading oath was taken. When I was at school, I was the only newspaper subscriber to English language, which brought the village postman into sacred awe. When a coaching pro she respected wrote that Madame Rezanova was destined to say a new word in this profession, she was ready to jump to the ceiling (even without a helmet).
- Lately, after a trial coaching session with her, people are inspired and do what they couldn’t decide to do for a long time.
- Since 2011, Elena and Roman have not had the thought that they were not living their own lives. Even in the most difficult times. From which they concluded that they live their own way.

Quotes:

“I believe people have the right to the maximum. I know that each of you is much stronger and cooler than you think about yourself. I also know that you can ask yourself the same questions all your life and not receive an answer.” “I encourage you to save up. Very diligently, but not money or things, but moments. Because the day will come when this will be the most important thing."
“Being on the bottom is good because once you're on the bottom, you can push off and swim up. After all, there is nowhere else to drown. At the bottom is a new starting point, and this is much better than BEFORE, because before - you still only feel that you are sinking to the bottom, and you are afraid of it, and you are suffocating, and twitching in the hope of swimming out. And then bam - a hard surface. He pressed his heel into it and upward. The darkest night is before the dawn."
“One wonderful person, sincerely sharing the joy of our reunion, asked me: “So, after all, home and work are better than permanent ones, and not wandering around Provence, the North Sea and the Alps?” Home and work (and family) are such categories, You can’t imagine any more important ones. Except for health. Did we have a home before we took off two years ago? There was, and a wonderful one. Was there work? Yes, still what. If desired, one could value stability, be friends with families, go on legal vacations, go to good restaurants and enjoy shopping. It didn't work out. HOME and WORK are better permanent. But only from the “favorite” category. She may not be far away, and it won’t take two years to look for her. It’s up to anyone to be lucky.”
“People don’t have the patience to build a business in three years, but they have the patience to go to work for 40 years.”
“People are divided into anchors and motors. The first ones will be dragged to the bottom. Join the latter - they are always on the move and full of life.”

And this is not a story about a sudden impulse with a happy ending - this is an example of how daily small but regular steps lead to a goal. About how to love yourself and your work and enjoy Mondays along with all other days, about the fact that happiness is within us, and we must give it the opportunity to be visible and tangible.

To take the first step and move from “never” to Life is now, read what Lena writes about life postponed:

“A person has only two lives, and the second begins when we understand that there is only one life.
A life put on hold is not Paris, not a hammock under palm trees, or even a house on the seashore. Deferred life is not about delayed gratification at all. It's about delayed meaning. That's why she's dangerous. Pleasure is not difficult to buy. It is impossible to bring back meaning to wasted years.

Meaning is our answer to the question of who I am, what I am doing in this world, and where it is, my place. These are simple questions that should have a simple answer. Very simple. Because he's real. When it is there, a person has a strong feeling of a person in his place. Not a functioning person, but a living person.

In my practice, I observe three stages of “delay.”

Stage 1 - vague sense of alternative

It feels like you are now a little lost in a plane that is not yours, and the present, yours, could be happening in some other way. Somewhere else, or even with someone else. At this stage, you still don’t know what it could be, just the often-coming feeling “I think I’m out of place,” “is that all?”

Stage 2 - unrealized dream

If in the first case a person simply feels an alternative, without specifics and pictures, then in the second case the unrealized reality already acquires certain features, content and details. “My own restaurant” or “a book I wrote.” Yes, yes, often in your file storage this is classified as a “pipe dream”. Time begins to tick surprisingly loudly, with every step casting doubt on the possibility of all this one day being realized.

Stage 3 - the person feels unwell

If in the first and second cases, a deferred life is a kind of virtual image, partly even brightening up real life (it’s nice to dream in your spare time), which can be realized in some conditional future, then at this stage the person is already frankly unhappy.

The situation is already becoming toxic. Moreover, being in a situation of endlessly weighing a decision can add toxicity to it.

Quit - don't quit, start - don't start, say - don't say, decide - don't decide, go - don't go, and so on. The energy consumption is colossal. The longer you stay in this mode, the less strength you have left to carry it out.

Why do we keep putting it off and putting it off?

The reason is that we are waiting for two conditions to occur:

  • perfect timing
  • full clarity

Let me save you time right away and say that the first and second in real change are almost unattainable.

Therefore, the only working strategy for big changes is Strategy Open Plan. Suitable for moving in unfamiliar spaces with poor visibility and big amount variables.

Imagine that you are walking in the fog. The direction is clear, but only two steps are visible. Then you take two steps, then the next step or two, and at the same time carefully look and listen to what and how around you - and evaluate new information. Just? Ha. I can go on all day about how difficult it is for people to accept this model of movement. And this topic is worth a separate large article.

What about responsibility for others?

Responsibility for others is not a reinforced concrete excuse and reservation from all changes, but the most underutilized super resource.

Responsibility for others is not something that will prevent you from starting your plan, it is something that will help when nothing else can help. This is what will not allow you to retreat when your own strength runs out, self-confidence fades, and faith in your project and even ambitions. This is what gets you out of bed half-dead and in any depression, because you won’t be able to let yourself get sour.

Be better prepared. Move faster. There is, for the sake of whom. And responsibility for others becomes a powerful incentive, on which, as practice shows, you can travel much faster and farther than if you are on your own and alone.

Just include those you are responsible for in your goals. Think about what they will gain in the end. Even if the changes concern only a free work schedule, at least the children will receive more than you. And this is already a lot.

Insurance against failure? Imagine that in our unstable world everything will not go as you wanted. Only in this case will you suffer passively, using your last strength to maintain your imaginary stability, which has let you down so much. And then, in the gaps of your reality, something big and real that you are building will no longer shine through. And there will be a feeling of emptiness and substitution. Do you have insurance for this?

What to do?

Your strategy will depend on the level of “procrastination” in life.

If you are at stage 1, think and search, decide, try to understand what the missed alternative is, what it is about, what it looks like. Find the answer to your “why”!

If you are at stage 2, check if this is really your dream and explore ways to approach it. The answer to the question “why” at this stage is already required. Because a dream may turn out to be a dummy, just a shell, an image accidentally stuck to you, and you are not going there. Therefore, we need to act and check. And then determine the direction.

If you are at stage 3, and the situation is already toxic to the point of unbearability, switch the mode. From the “thinking” mode, switch to the “action” mode.

The mode of getting out of the deadlock is turned on, not when the bridges are already smoking, and the whole previous life is plowed up with a determined bulldozer. This mode is activated by the first step taken, and this step can be any small, careful and unnoticeable.

The main thing is that you are no longer a passive martyr of circumstances, but a person who is walking. Or crawling. Alas, at this stage just lying in the direction of the dream will no longer work.”

(The full version of the article was published in the magazine “Life is Interesting”)

When you are asked the question “what do you do”, what do you answer? Do you feel like you haven't found yourself and are capable of more? Perhaps getting to know today’s heroine of the “Our People in Monaco” column will help you take the first step towards this. Elena Rezanova lives in the Principality and advises individuals and corporations around the world. Her specialty is self-realization and career strategy.

Lena, how and when did you move to Monaco?

First, in 2011, we moved to France, and since 2012 we have been in Monaco. Before this we lived ordinary life office employees and had an excellent career in an international corporation in Moscow. But at a certain stage they decided to completely change the course of their history, and the husband began studying to become a chef in Paris. Then there was Provence, where we did our gastronomic project. And then an offer for a management job brought us to Monaco. Here my husband Roma started working, my daughter Anya went to school, and I registered my Life is Now project. So it was a coincidence that brought us to Monaco - and thank you, your ability to introduce and connect people played an important role.

How do you find life in Monaco?

I love this place, it's sunny and lively. We live in the port of Hercule and we feel the whole rhythm of Monaco directly - all Formula 1 and concerts on the embankment. I like the people who surround me, I like absolute safety and beauty. But like all consultants, I spend most of my time at my workplace, and therefore it’s easier to meet me in a bank than somewhere in secular places :) Although there are exceptions.

Who are your clients? Where do they live and what do they do?

These are people who are doing well. They live anywhere - in Moscow, Washington, Amsterdam, London, Hong Kong. By the age of 30-40 they have already taken place. Everyone around them sees a beautiful picture, and the person understands that yes, everything is fine, but something is really missing.

And what might they be missing?

If we are talking about a man, then behind external success there may be under-fulfillment. For example, a person realizes that his work does not coincide with what he wants to leave in the world. Or he feels that he is capable of more. But he doesn't understand how to act.

When it comes to working women, they may lack work-family balance. And they feel guilty about something - either work or family.
If we talk about non-working women, then they may also lack balance, because the preponderance is towards the role of wife and mother, and there is no other field for self-realization.

Many women dream of devoting all their time to their family and not working, where do the problems come from?

Only one area of ​​life—the family—cannot harness its full potential. And this potential begins to “ask” out. But there is no activity - no project, no interesting and exciting hobby. And it turns out that a person begins to feel that he is missing out on something, that he is not living life to the fullest.

Once I had the opportunity to work with the wonderful Evgenia. She is a wonderful wife, mother of two children, but when she met new interesting people, when asked “what do you do,” she has nothing to say except “I’m a housewife.” And seeing how other people had some interesting projects that made their eyes sparkle, she began to feel that the world was flying somewhere, and she was left on the sidelines.
Now she is working on several interesting projects at the intersection of her previous specialization (marketing) and the restaurant business. And he no longer says “I’m sitting at home.” At the same time, family and home are just as important - but this is a real balance.

Elena Rezanova, Life is Now project, Monaco

What are the needs of working professionals?

They have something else. They have two tasks - either to get to the top (to the one that still needs to be chosen) as efficiently and quickly as possible. Or find a way to realize your idea.
And here you need to figure out two main things: what is the potential, strengths, the uniqueness of this person. And secondly, what makes his eyes light up, what are his interests. Because when these two things coincide, it is a powerful charge of energy. A person can do much more than others.

Why know your strengths and potential?

Let me explain with an example. Here you are, Masha, unique in your ability to create a special information and emotional field around yourself. Or a stream. I have heard the phrase “Masha knows everything” about you many times! And your project Monaco-Ru is very relevant. But these could be other projects where your talents could be used. And if you look for them not intuitively, but consciously, asking yourself the question: where do my features create my maximum competitive advantage? – then you can find a lot of ideas. If a person doesn’t know, he can wander in the dark for a long time - and then depending on his luck.

How do you usually work with clients?

We discuss the situation, and I propose an individual program. It contains a lot of interesting exercises, questions, and tools. The program usually consists of several sessions, with regularity approximately once a week. In the process, a person discovers so many things about himself that he didn’t even know about! Needless to say, I simply adore my job. It allows you to change people's lives for the better.

If our readers have questions about finding themselves, how can we contact you?

I will be very happy to chat with HelloMonaco readers. The first consultation is free! Write to me at [email protected] and we will definitely discuss your situation. Moreover, for this we will be able to meet not only on Skype, but in person, over a cup of coffee in one of our favorite places. Write!

And finally, your Principality of Monaco in three words is...?

Sea, mountains, sun. This is something that makes me smile every day.


From: Monaco

Elena was born in Siberia and now lives in Monaco with her family and focuses on career strategies.

The main thing in traveling for her is to feel the taste local life, for example, spend a leisurely week in one village, go to the market, have lunch for two hours, walk through the vineyards and greet your neighbors...

How long have you been traveling? Where was your first trip?

Considering that I was born and raised in a taiga village, the most significant trips of my childhood were to the regional city of Omsk. And then, when I grew up, graduated from university and moved to Novosibirsk, my first real trip happened - of course, to. And the first from abroad was Bulgaria, and already at a very serious age, at about 27 years old.

Are you traveling alone or in a team? What qualities of a partner are most important when traveling?

My husband is my team. It’s hard for me to imagine myself traveling with a large group. In general, I'm an introvert. And I feel comfortable with the person closest to me, collected, reliable, and a lover of slow travel. If we also take into account that he is a professional restaurateur, then we are also okay with the choice of food. At worst, he’ll cook it himself

2.
In Provence

How do you choose a country (city, place) for your next trip?

For several years before moving to France and then to Monaco, the main destination was. Paris, Normandy, Provence, Alps. And the more we discover France, now it’s like local residents, the more you want to open it. We feel incredibly good in Provence! The Cote d'Azur, where we live, is also very cool, and there are a lot of places here. Since we are very busy people, unfortunately, we don’t get to travel much. So far, for example, they have not discovered the Maritime Alps, and have just begun to discover Liguria.

Have you ever found yourself in extreme situations? If yes, tell us about the most exciting one.

Probably not. But we love to travel and live like locals. One day I decided to take my children (17 and 3 years old) and go to the Seychelles and Mauritius for several months. We rented a house, sent our daughter to school, I worked (remotely), we went to local stores, talked with neighbors and in general everything was like people do. And this opportunity to integrate into another culture is the most valuable thing!

How do you find your way around new places (GPS, maps, interviewing local residents...)?

I read quite a lot before the trip. For example, I learned a lot of valuable things about the Seychelles and Mauritius from the Vinsky forum. And then I met the locals...

Can you break any known stereotype about the places you have visited?

Probably the main stereotype was about the Seychelles as a fruit-tropical paradise. This is a very unhappy country, with political and economic problems, and where to find fruit you still have to try. And many other products too. Those tourists who don’t stick their nose outside the hotel may be right in this case.

Which country (or culture) is closest to you in terms of its mentality?

We are people of peace. All kind and loyal cultures are close to us.

Are there places that are completely foreign to you?

So far, no such thing has been discovered.

What is the main purpose of travel for you?

The main thing is to get a taste of local life. For example, Provence. If you are going there for a week, you don’t need to create a scary tourist quest with the obligatory viewing of all the places that are worth it. It’s better to spend this week leisurely in one village, go to the market, have lunch for two hours, walk through the vineyards and greet your neighbors.

What has changed in your life thanks to travel?

We have become more open to the different. And we stopped thinking in terms of boundaries. In general, borders are a sore subject. It has always been insulting to me to collect certificates and prove to someone that I have the right to visit Switzerland, for example. Some kind of unnatural selection, really. Traveling - it fosters inner freedom.

Which of your trips do you remember most and why?

The year before last I went to visit my friend Olga Tikhonova in Istanbul, and then to her family restaurant 100 km from Istanbul. Olga was a strategic consultant and several years ago decided to leave this career and created the Delicious Istanbul project. These include gastronomic walks around Istanbul and cooking classes. She herself is a great enthusiast and connoisseur Turkish cuisine. So, I realized that I didn’t understand anything about Turkish food. And when it was revealed to me in all its glory, I still can’t come to my senses and remember the Turkish sardines with lemon at the Kadikoy market.

What places would you definitely like to return to and why?

I would like to return to Tai. I was there in 2005 and 2006 as a backpacker, and managed to travel almost the entire country in two weeks. And now I understand that I would like to live quietly in one place. Breathe their air.
I also want to return to Provence fifty times.

And several times to Meribel, which is in the Alps, in the Three Valleys, and to the alpine village of Brides-les-Bains, where we spent several months in the winter of 2012.

Where are you planning to go next?

London! Here I always combine business with pleasure. I’m studying, and plus my friend Lena Stradze lives here, who opened a small restaurant in London called Little Water and cooks something super-amazing there. And walking around London until exhaustion is mine. Unlike all other places, it is in this city that I love to be alone. And in bookstores I just disappear there for hours.

We recently discovered a small mountain village in Liguria (Italy) - it is called Apricale. It is incredibly beautiful there, there are paintings and frescoes on the walls of the houses, there is a small castle, only three incredibly delicious restaurants and only a couple of hotels. From Ventimiglia, which is located on the seashore, it is only half an hour's drive. The nearest airport is Nice. And if you’re in our area, don’t inadvertently miss Eze Village, which is in the mountains. This is a medieval village, it is in the mountains, and there is also lower Eze, it is on the sea, under the mountain. So, here you go to the top. Then you can go down to the lower one along the Nietzsche path - he walked along it and thought. Two kilometers. Philosophical thoughts come, verified.

Elena Rezanova is a female entrepreneur, founder of the LIFE IS NOW project, career consultant, author of the book “Never. How to get out of a dead end and find yourself."

Biography

Elena was born into a simple family, her childhood and adolescence were no different from the lives of other young girls. School, friends, walks, classes. Until the age of 17, the girl lived in a small village Omsk region, then entered the University of Omsk. At the end of the first year, Elena gave birth to a son. As the woman herself says, for her this became a huge incentive to move and grow further: “If the child had been born not at 19 years old, but, for example, at 38, perhaps I would not have had such zeal to do everything and everywhere...”

Elena was actively engaged in her self-education and career. She moved forward and grabbed every opportunity for self-realization and development of her self. The stage of active growth and development continued until the age of 38 - this is how Elena herself demarcated her life. Elena's husband supported all her endeavors and ideas.

If you associate the onset of real life with the moment when you have accumulated a certain amount, you risk missing out on your life or postponing it for a long time.

The third stage of life, according to Elena, began in 2011, when she and her husband went to Paris with a one-way ticket. They simply dropped everything and decided to start life from scratch. Of course, there were fears, because no one knows how life will turn out in a new place. At this time, Elena realized her freedom and strength, realized how great it was not to depend on the office, bosses and other things that are ordinary in our hectic life. In Moscow, they left behind the noisy office world, where she and her husband built a successful career. Ahead are dreams, room for imagination and new life. This is how, once taking a risk, Elena was able to open a new world for herself and her family.

Elena Rezanova speaks about her career and success boldly and openly, without fear of being misunderstood or funny:

“Of course, there were moments when I wanted to step back, give up everything and return to my old life. For example, at the very beginning there were catastrophically few clients, all earnings went to taxes. One day I came to the bank and simply could not pay the entire amount at once. They met me halfway, but my disappointment was very great. Sometimes I thought that no one needed my idea, and, to be honest, I simply gave up on these thoughts. But I didn’t allow myself to be discouraged, I tried to mentally cheer up my inner self, because I sincerely believed in my idea and wanted to realize it at all costs.”

Time passed, the business grew. Albeit at a slow pace, but progress was visible. Elena's family helped her and supported her in everything. Soon things took off. The first serious clients helped Elena's business get on its feet. The woman realized that everything was not in vain, and began active work. The case picked up in 2013. Since then, as in any other business, there have been recessions and increases in activity.

Elena's most important support and support is her family. The woman’s husband, together with her, is actively working in the field of career strategies. A woman loves to travel, learn new things and discover the secrets and beauty of this world. Having lived her childhood and adolescence as an ordinary girl, Elena was able to find strength, potential, believe in herself and go in search of something more. Just one step changed her life, and now the whole world knows about her.

If we take the well-known 10,000 hours that are needed to become an expert, then they are accumulated much faster in the “interesting” mode. And with pleasure.

Elena Rezanova’s total work experience in this field is more than 17 years. She also has many other achievements under her belt:

  • The experience of changing her own life is the basis that helped her understand how her business would work.
  • Career in an international corporation (in 2011 Elena left the company as Talent Manager).
  • Successful experience in building your own company.
  • Extensive practice as a consultant with professionals from all over the world.
  • Development of our own system of work and approach to clients.

Today, Elena Rezanova is a successful entrepreneur working with people all over the world. For each of her clients, she selects an individual plan for resolving their issue, offers a lot of options and strategies on how and in what direction to move further. Her family lives in Monaco, enjoying their freedom and independence. They travel a lot and do not regret the decision made many years ago to drop everything and leave. Elena successfully helps those who are in the middle of their career path and do not know what step to take next.

 

It might be useful to read: