Elena Galifa: Pursue your goals, become what you dream!

What motivated you to quit your job and start fashion blogging during a time that Greece didn’t even know what blogging was?

Elena Galifa: First of all, I considered it a challenge, something that really really interests me and it happened at a point in my life that I wasn’t feeling well with what I was doing before. I would wake up unhappy, miserable even, trying to find something that would lead me out of all of this. I didn’t perceive it as some sort of redemption, I perceived it as the opportunity I was looking for and I just wished to seize. I am very happy I did.

 

What kind of messages did you want to get across from your blog?

EG: I’ve realized that young women, when we talk about appearance in general, are very interested in how they should dress, how to feel positive and confident in their clothes, and I am very glad that I can contribute on this part. I can show them a few things without prompting them to copy-paste but adapt a few tricks on their personal style, since this is the whole point of fashion anyway. It’s a matter of how you present your personality to others through your appearance, and have your personal aesthetics, not only in terms of clothing but as a extension of how you behave, your manners, how you stand, how you talk, how you address someone and therefore, the photographs you take and express yourself appearance-wise.

 

How do you picture yourself in 10 years from now?

EG: Awww! I definitely want to have achieved most of my goals, I do want to be successful to what I do, because I love this so so much, so I want to do better, I want to achieve the goals I set but most of all, I want to be happy with what I do. The moment I realize what I do doesn’t fill me with joy, I stop doing it. Because that is the point, to wake up every morning and be filled with joy with what you do because this way – as I mention in my TED talk – you will feel as if you’ve never really worked your whole life.

 

How do you keep your balance and how do you deal with your busy days?

EG: In general, I’m over-optimistic and whenever I feel under the weather, I don’t touch my phone. That is the essence of it, I won’t force myself to do something. Of course, there are days that I have a rather heavy schedule and of course there are other days that I’m not really busy. Nevertheless, I’m the boss of me and I set the schedule and how I bring about my different obligations and errands. However, even if I do have a difficult day, fatigue is sweet. Because if you enjoy what you do, you never realize how tired you really get.

 

It is clear that you share your optimism with many young women via Instagram

EG: Of course, that is the point. In this day and age, when social media are in bloom and there are many profile accounts and a great amount of information here and there from different things, the person following you sometimes may get lost, they don’t know who to follow more. That’s the point where you need to make a difference with your personality. Nowadays, you can find a good picture anywhere, but a great personality…? I’m not saying I’m a “great personality” or anything, I just want to believe that I am so for a few young women and young men. I think this is what people really want in authentic accounts.

 

When you received your invitation to talk to this year’s TEDxAUTH, what was it that made you say yes?

EG: First of all is the fact that I’ll get to come into contact with so many people, because I understand how important it is for such conferences to exist. I was really excited from the very first moment, I didn’t give it a second thought, so after I checked my agenda to make sure there wasn’t any other trip planned, of course I accepted the invitation to come to TEDx with great pleasure. I hope I do well, I wish I’ll be able to get my messages across. Even If I manage to motivate just a single person, I’ll be satisfied.

 

Translation: Niki Saridaki

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