Forbes MAKERS: A Day for Myself – Identity, Honesty, Authenticity and Fulfillment

Yesterday I attended an event where every detail, every speaker and every minute seemed to come straight from the well of inspiration and enthusiasm. It was as if it was addressed directly to me (but I’m sure the other 999 women feel the same).

Of course, paved with failures, new beginnings, efforts, obstacles… because that’s the way it is. I would say that I had been preparing myself mentally for the event in the past few days, but unfortunately this is not the case. I literally jumped in, worked late the night before, got up early the next day to get ready, didn’t meditate beforehand, didn’t formulate questions, just went there. I hoped that, if not on the road, I would slow down there, put things down for a day and have the chance to concentrate on myself and build (internally, not just externally).

Oh, how nice that I managed to do that! I would have regretted it terribly if I hadn’t, because it’s rare to have the opportunity to be with so many valuable people and good stories all at once, for a whole day.

Anyway, as usual, I still have a lot of work to do with this. 😊
Let’s get started!

How did I get in? Bearing in mind a very important theory:

It’s a very fresh experience, which is why it’s important for me to tell you a little bit about it now. This is when all the emotions are strongest. Even when it’s churning.

Forbes Makers Day was a special meeting where participants experienced that the journey we take is as important as the destination itself. In fact! Along the way, we meet strong, purposeful women and men, each contributing in their own unique way to a common source of inspiration. Let me share with you some of the brightest and most powerful moments of the day.

To start…

This is a day for women in action, a day specifically for them and built around them. As soon as I entered the venue, I sensed that this day promised to be something special. The atmosphere, the conversations and the community all suggested that something big is going on. And at around 9 in the morning, the carousel was already underway.

The line-up of speakers was exciting in itself. Bori Péterfy was an excellent representative of the ideas of self-realisation and self-identity. With her honesty, recklessness and ability (which is damn respectable) to own up to her mistakes on the big stage, she showed the true strength a woman can have. His presence and his words were not only inspiring, but sent a clear message that the power of identity and authenticity is unbreakable. We dare to admit our weaknesses, because everyone has them, so what? You don’t have to create a filtered reality around yourself just because others do, it’s just an extra burden that you put on others and even yourself. There is no perfection and there shouldn’t be, we are human!

Ferenc Pál – or, as most of us know him, Father Pálferi – brought a unique and spiritual perspective on self-realisation and understanding the purpose of life. I can only speak of him in superlatives, the father is a phenomenon! We practically got a serious theatrical performance in which you could have taken notes on every word. His wisdom and deep human understanding opened our eyes to see that true happiness lies in inner peace and harmony with ourselves.

According to Pálferi, it should also be a goal to be able to experience self-actualization (not self-assertion!) in a way that is not selfish and self-centered, but rather serving others – and of course having fun.

Needless to say, a 2-minute applause, closed with a clap back from the father. I would like to add here that I have never seen anyone bow before his audience with such humility as Pálferi! Even if I hadn’t heard the performance, I would still say it was worth it! Isn’t that something?!

Zsolt Osváth – a man who is impressive not only as a businessman but also as a person. Very much! I really like his character, his personality. Why? Because he’s intelligent, easy-going, honest, doesn’t over-mystify himself, tells you truly where he’s coming from and where he’s going… what he’s about and why he’s doing it. Then we’ll see in hindsight whether he thought it through, and if not, so be it. So what?! 😊 His vision of success and self-actualization brought a fresh perspective to the day, reminding us that success is not about meeting external expectations, but about meeting our own. If you are OK with yourself and represent yourself as you are, then that is perfectly fine and sufficient!

Everyone was brilliant, from László Budai to Gabriella Jakupcsek, from Marta Tkacsik to Katalin Piczkó.

There was talk of meltdowns, obsessive compulsions, that dreadful and dangerous perfectionism, control, abstinence and burnout, overthinking, health, crises, negative comments, Facebook hell, Insta filters, sex, relationship, parenting, life and death, literature, possibilities, depression, break-ups, consciousness, intuition, magic, videos, self-branding, icing, unicorns, orgasms, superheroes, radio…

So there you go, all this in one article? Come on! I’ll come back with the rest as soon as I’ve put in the right place what I’ve heard 😉

At the end of the day, I felt that I had truly enriched myself as a woman, as a person. The Forbes Makers Day was not just an event where we dressed up, showed up and took a photo (and drank update water… well that’s another article in itself), but a powerful experience (sometimes a slap in the face, but we need it), a source of inspiration and a guide to being the best versions of ourselves – and really being ourselves, not our role models, mentors or fake insta pics, while enjoying the journey and the moments that lead us there.

Yes, that includes losing everything, getting up and moving on.

Because it’s in there.

This day was about real connections, about us, and about honest self-expression. And perhaps most importantly, that success is not just a destination, but an ever-expanding journey, where every step offers opportunities for growth and development. And what success is for each person is up to them – for some it’s putting in the effort to raise their child, for others it’s stopping the compulsive eating, for others it’s building a 10 billion dollar company. Everyone has a different life, a different success, a different goal.

The togetherness, the common purpose and the power of women coming together was simply amazing. At the end of the day I felt enriched: I left with new knowledge, inspiration and a stronger sense of community. And 1001 questions that haven’t even been asked yet, but with time… 😊

And it was really cherry on the cake mpusse that I went to this special event with someone very important to me. With my friend and colleague Gabus, with whom I have been working for 10 years, since the beginning of our friendship. Her quality gave a very strong framework to our presence. Because we were really there in the PRESENT. There and then.

I’ll tell you more about that! 😉