We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anna Piskoulian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anna , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
What a loaded question! Short answer; I stumbled into it? When I graduated high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. All of my peers were going to college and seemingly knew so clearly what they wanted to do with their lives. I was a passionate creative that had many interests ( and MANY jobs ) . I had zero tolerance for maintaining any job that didn’t feel fulfilling or kept my interest. I know what you’re thinking, that’s a tall order to fill. I eventually landed in Men’s Hair. It kept my attention, I enjoyed working with people and I got to work with my hands. It seemed to hit a lot of important factors for me that a lot of other endeavors didn’t. Financially, it was also very rewarding and I knew this was something I could build a career around. It’s been a decade now in the hair industry for me and Im still stoked to go into work everyday. Knowing that I still have that excitement is a huge indication that I am aligned with my purpose. I gathered that the two key factors to pay attention to when you’re trying to find your purpose are : 1) Does it excite you? & 2) Are you constantly curious about it? Use that as your guide and I guarantee you will like where you land
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a Professional Men’s Hair Stylist and I own a men’s salon in West Los Angeles. Its exciting and special to me because I get to spend time with people of all backgrounds for one hour increments. I learn about humanity through my clients. I see that we are mostly all the same and want very similar things in life. With the world being as divided as it is right now, I am constantly shown that we all just want our story acknowledged and to be happy. People of all faiths, orientations, financial situations etc are looking for the same thing. To be loved, to be healthy and to be happy. The best part about creating my own space is that I have control in creating an environment that allows people to just be. That alone is a gift.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back at my own journey, these top three things stand out to me the loudest.
1) Patience – anything worth keeping isn’t usually built over night. As a recovering impatient person (lol) this was really hard for me to learn and develop. I showed up everyday and added a little more sand to my pile, next thing I knew, I had built an entire mountain out of little grains of sand. I would always remind myself of trees and how they grow. Slow and strong.
2) Create Opportunities – I hate to break it to you, but no one will knock on your door with opportunities. You have to create these windows for yourself! If you’re feeling stuck, find someone who you admire and knows more than you in a certain area and take them out for a coffee. Ask to hear about their story and how they got to where they are. Everyone LOVES talking about themselves. Do this 5 time a month and watch how you grow. Thank me later 🙂
3) Build A Good Reputation – Most industries aren’t as big as you may think and word travels around fast. Be sure to have integrity when engaging with people. Your reputation will enter rooms you may never even step foot in. Leaving a good trail will create wonderful momentum that you will thank your past self for a decade later.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Maybe It’s You by Lauren Handel Zander is monumental in my life journey both professionally and personally. It is a radically straightforward book that points the finger at you for being responsible for the outcomes in your life. I think for the longest time I would lean on my circumstances as an excuse to not take action and be proactive in making the changes I needed and wanted to in my life. I read it over 10 years ago, and still resides in my subconscious anytime I want to blame external things. 10/10 read it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheNativeSpace.com
- Instagram: @AnnaPiskoulian
- Other: @TheNativeSpace
