Ziv: Hey, I’m Ziv Shalev and this is “On the Journey”. Every week “On the Journey” expose the intersections of wellness, spiritual inquiry, mental health, personal growth and purposeful living through the eyes of the people we interview.

Maya, we’d love you to tell us about your story, about your journey.

Maja: My journey started five years ago where I finally found out that there is more to the life to me for other people, and that’s when my journey started, when I realized that there are more and I love it so far and I grew like skyrockets. Yeah, that’s my journey.

Ziv: How did you discover that there is more what happened?

Maja: Oh, I came to the point when I couldn’t handle some things anymore, and I said, no, stop. And then I started to research about the things that I can do, things that I deserve more. So I came to the point when I couldn’t handle anymore, I said, no, I stop doing these things. And then I got myself into researching about how to change it and how to get out and do better.

Ziv: And what did you discover in your research?

Maja:

Ziv: How do we do it, like many of us go through really difficult and challenging lives where many times life and even people around us might tell us that we can’t. How do we become to believe that we can achieve things, change, grow?

Maja: You can change that belief by knowing that

Let’s say, for example, Oprah Winfrey, she’s not any different than you or she’s not any different than me.

And we all can. The question is, do you believe you can? And do you have faith that you can?

Ziv: And how do I build this belief and faith that, like she doesn’t look the same like me.

Maja: By researching, go into your researching about other people that once they’ve been down and then what they did to get themselves higher. Researching, just researching, studying, reading and asking yourself questions and affirming yourself, actually, I can.

So researching, definitely researching and studying and reading and asking yourself questions.

Ziv: Ok, so you say that while you are researching, one thing you found is that you can and you believe that you can and what’s the next step? OK, so I believe that they can. What do I do next?

Maja: Again, asking yourself how, finding a way, small steps, sending an email, reaching out to someone online, that is how. Again, researching how to start something that you want to start and go with small steps.

Ziv: Can you tell us a bit about this? Give us examples of small steps, maybe the tutee that helped you or you saw your coachees do it, what kind of steps?

Maja: Speaking that out, let’s say you want to become a coach, you need to speak that out. You want to talk and you want to talk with your mother first. Look, Mother, I want to help people. What do you think? What should I do? Your father, your sister, your friend, “Look, that’s coaching business. I think I can” or going to Facebook groups reading about this, asking people how they got started with the coaching.

Offer yourself to the people online, some woman on the Facebook, she’s asking how to get out of depression. You reach out to her and you say, look, this like this, and that’s how you build your reputation.

That’s how you grow your confidence in believing that you can. Starting small, differently, reaching out to people, whether online or in person. That’s how you start and it’s everything. That’s how you start everything, speaking out.

Ziv: Small steps. What if I approach you? OK, so I really want to change and I believe I can. And tomorrow morning, it’s like I want to be happier. I want to be more fulfilled. And I want to be healthier. So what steps should I take tomorrow? What should I do?

Maja: Again, I think going into you, I can’t help you, I can give you only tools, you will stay with you yourself in your house. I can’t be with you 24/7.

That’s my tool first, asking yourself questions in any given moment how to do better and how to be better every day 24/7.

Ziv: That’s wonderful. And I need to explore inside myself. I need to ask those questions again and again and get deeper and deeper through these questions until I discover what I want to do. And then?

Maja: And then never give up, asking yourself, how somebody that they love themselves, how do they treat themselves, how do they shower, how do they dress up, how do they eat, how where in what places to go? People that love themselves.

It’s simple. It’s very, very simple.

Ziv: So why is it so hard? Why it’s so difficult for people to change?

Maja: They are not ready. They feel comfortable. They like to complain and and that’s OK.

And I think most people, unfortunately, they don’t change because they like being in a comfort zone.

They just like to complain. They fear change, but change is the better life is outside, You need to take some changes, you need to do some changes, you need to do the things in a different way.

You need to take some changes, you need to do some changes, do need to do the things in a different way. They’re like that. They like to be in that bubble and then complain, and that’s OK for them.

Ziv: I would try to summarize it. So, you need to be ready. And once you’re ready, you need to go and believe, find the inner faith to believe that you can change because everyone is like you or even Oprah Winfrey. You need to go inside and ask yourself the questions of what is important for you and what do you want and you threw in work. You progress with daily small steps.

Maja: They all start small.

Ziv: Thank you so much for this deep and yet simple and good interview. I really, really appreciate your time, your experience and your amazing energy that goes out there to the world. Thank you.

Maja: Thank you so much. Thank you for inviting me. I enjoyed, I love to talk about these.