#LifeLessons - The Biggest Life Learnings Of Viktoria Pilinko

NAME: Viktoria Pilinko

AGE: 32

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @scoopwholefoods_ae

JOB TITLE: Co-Founder and Managing Director, Scoop Wholefoods UAE

Viktoria Pilinko's path that has brought her to where she is today and has been nothing short of extraordinary. From joining Google as a fresh uni grad to traveling the world with her backpack, her heart has always been her main compass. So when the idea of bringing Scoop Wholefoods to the amazing city of Dubai first appeared, Viktoria's heart already knew that this was it.

This business feeds into Viktoria's core values. She discovered Scoop as a customer when she was on her personal journey of reducing waste and minimising her environmental footprint. Scoop became a huge part of her lifestyle, and Viktoria felt a genuine lack when she moved to another country and didn’t have access to all this plastic-free organic goodness anymore. In the true spirit of entrepreneurship, Iryna and Viktoria decided to take matters into their own hands and make zero waste shopping a reality in the UAE. Today they can proudly say that they have the best range of natural and organic wholefoods in all of Dubai, and anyone - online or offline - can access this incredible quality while reducing their waste.

Today Viktoria shares her biggest life learnings with us:

#LIFELESSON - 1: On the other side of fear, there lies greatness

I remember the day I decided to quit Google. I remember the tremble of excitement at endless possibilities that opened up the moment I accepted it as part of my reality. And I also remember the avalanche of self-doubt & fear that washed over me right after: How will I live without income? Will anyone ever hire me again? And what is my purpose in life anyway?

Fear is the sign you've been waiting for to finally make a change. It's the best indicator that you're on the right path, & your subconscious is simply making the last attempt to keep you inside your little comfort zone. But just one small step in the direction of your dreams, and away from fear, can pave the way for greatness beyond your imagination.

Needless to say, the path of bringing Scoop to life has been strewn with challenges, fears and doubts, but I never let them get louder than the inner voice that knew I was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. Surround yourself with people and information that reinforce your inner knowing instead of feeding your doubts and insecurities.

#LIFELESSON - 2: Happiness is the path, not the destination

If you're waiting for that perfect day to feel happy, it may never come. Or, in the words of Buddha, there is no path to happiness: happiness is the path. Here is a funny story: one morning on a recent vacation, I woke up with an unshakeable intention to have a perfect day. I got up with the sunrise, did some breathwork followed by a deep meditation. Then I went for a run along the picture-perfect beach, had a refreshing dip in the perfectly warm sea, enjoyed lush tropical fruits for breakfast, squeezed in a gym session in between exploring crafts at the local market & spending quality time with my family, and wrapped it all up with a healthy dinner and an early bedtime. The day ticked all the boxes, and I felt absolutely great by the end of it.

But the truth is, that day was a rare outlier in the landscape of my past year. By letting my mind create unrealistic narratives of what my life should look like for it to qualify as perfect, I fell into a trap of constant guilt-tripping and frustration at missing the mark. The reality of owning a business is such that days will get messy, routines will get uprooted, & there will always be more to do than time allows. And yet, to be happy is a choice you can make today - no matter where you currently are in your life journey. Find a practice that works for you - be it a gratitude journal, breathwork, meditation, or mindful movement - and cultivate positive thought patterns that will help you feel content in the present moment. Your life, truly, is already perfect, in all of its messy, imperfect ways.

#LIFELESSON - 3: Better done than perfect

Better done than perfect. Read this again. Truly internalising the meaning of this phrase has changed my life. It's such a simple yet deep truth. It's about letting go of what's beyond your control, about trusting others to do the right thing, and, perhaps most importantly, about recognising the self-sabotage patterns that hide behind the mask of perfectionism.

We've all been there: you have a spark, an idea, but instead of putting it into action, you buy another online course & lose the impulse. That's self-sabotage. Before opening Scoop, I had many other business ideas. But things only started to shift when I stopped waiting for the perfect opportunity and began taking small, consistent steps toward my vision.

In the process of opening Scoop, we navigated many unknowns, and made many mistakes, but we learnt from them, improved, and kept going. Progress beats perfection. As simple as that.