The Day I Realized The Work Was Working
The last couple of weeks have been interesting and a rather unexpected reminder of something I have spent the past seven years learning, exploring, talking about, teaching, and, quite frankly, spending a small fortune on.
If you had asked me before what tangible results I expected from all the work I have done over the years — from numerical psychology and Life Scripting to hypnotherapy, regression work, breathwork, therapy, meditation, journaling, yoga, and every other modality that has crossed my path, I probably would have given you a very predictable answer: more clarity, better relationships, more abundance, stronger health, and a greater sense of purpose.
And while all of those things are wonderful, I am starting to think that perhaps the real result may look very different.
1. It looks like Paris. Or rather, the version of Paris we got :)
Let me start by saying that this was supposed to be a highly anticipated family trip after a rather stressful month in the Middle East. We were travelling with a 15-month-old toddler, my niece, Emma, and instead of staying in a hotel, we rented a beautiful apartment in our favourite arrondissement because we wanted something more comfortable, more spacious, and more homely.
On paper, it looked perfect, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different. The apartment itself was beautiful, but the management company, Concrete Management, to be precise, somehow forgot one rather important detail: the baby crib we had ordered, paid for, and reminded them about before our arrival. Not only was the crib missing when we checked in, but despite repeated promises, phone calls, apologies from the manager, and reassurances, they never actually managed to provide one. Twice they sent staff with a crib, and twice the staff was unable to assemble it.
Then, on the third night, Emma fell off the bed she was sharing with Lena, her mom. Thankfully, she was fine, but it was one of those moments that sends a wave of panic through every parent before logic has a chance to catch up.
There was also the issue with the air conditioning. Upon arrival, I noticed a sign on the apartment door stating that the a/c must be switched off between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. When I asked the staff member what we were supposed to do to comply with the rule, the concern was largely dismissed. Unfortunately, Paris was experiencing unusually hot weather during our stay.
On our first night, exhausted after travelling, we forgot to switch the unit off. Around 11:30 p.m., the upstairs neighbour knocked on our door and politely asked us to turn it off. He was respectful and calm, but clearly exhausted. At the time, we saw him as yet another complication in what was already becoming a stressful stay. Later, we realised he had been dealing with the consequences of this situation for years.
When the property manager called to apologize for the ongoing crib situation and assured us that she would personally take responsibility for resolving any issues (which she never did, eventually ignoring my messages altogether and blocking me on WhatsApp), we raised the matter of the neighbour and the air-conditioning restrictions. She informed us that the neighbour had no legal right to bother us and that we could continue using the a/c as we saw fit (as it turned out, this was not true; we later learned that a court hearing between the property owner and the neighbour regarding this very issue was scheduled for June 10).
Miracle #1
But here’s where it gets interesting!
At around 4 or 5 a.m. on Friday night, we were trying to calm Emma after her fall and briefly switched on the a/c for 15 minutes to help settle her. In response, the neighbour rang the doorbell.
At first, our interaction looked more like a heated argument. We were understandably stressed. But so was he – imagine paying all that money to live in a beautiful apartment in one of the most prestigious areas of Paris only to spend years dealing with a revolving door of short-term rental guests because you and your family cannot sleep. But once we both calmed down, we could put ourselves in each other’s shoes and find human decency and understanding.
After learning what had happened with Emma, he and his wife immediately offered us their children's old crib. Not only did they solve a problem the management company had failed to resolve for days, but they did so with kindness, generosity, and absolutely no obligation to help complete strangers – a true miracle that significantly enhanced our stay! And that act of kindness will forever stay in my heart, and I wish him and his family a lot of happiness, abundance, health, and, of course, peace!
Miracle #2
Usually, when I travel to Paris, I make sure I book the most coveted and tastiest places, but travelling with a toddler makes things different, so this time we decided to go with the flow:) And to say that that flow had turned out disappointing is to say nothing – from one of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had in Paris to sashimi ordered through Deliveroo that was clearly not fresh and had to be thrown away without any refund because it happened to be “part of a promotional deal” as per their customer service. Personally, I have always believed that serving questionable raw fish is unacceptable, even when it is free, let alone when customers are paying for it…
Our trip also happened to coincide with PSG winning the Champions League. Overnight, central Paris transformed into a scene of celebration and chaos: fireworks and firecrackers echoed through the streets until 5 a.m., crowds shouted into the night, shop windows were smashed, and police were guarding the street nearby.
Yet we didn't allow any of it to spoil our mood, and that attitude kept paying off.
On our last day in Paris, on International Children’s Day, June 1, Lena and I were taking a walk when she suddenly received a call from a government official with very happy news that wasn’t expected until at least September! So I suggested going to a jewelry designer we wanted to check out and getting something to remember this day by, and there we met a wonderful lady, Hasiba! When she learned that we were Armenian, she became emotional and shared that Charles Aznavour was her favourite singer. It was one of those beautiful moments of connection between complete strangers. And while the odds of meeting someone who admires one of the greatest representatives of our nation in France are quite high, Hasiba's sincerity, kindness, and gentleness made the encounter truly special.
Miracle #3
After days of being ignored by the management company, we asked if we could stay just a little longer because of our flight schedule. No response. At that point, we had already decided to approach whatever happened next calmly.
Fortunately, when the cleaning lady arrived, she turned out to be a wonderful Armenian woman. After hearing our situation, she kindly allowed us to stay for an additional couple of hours, which made the last day significantly less stressful.
Again, the pattern repeated itself: one person failed us, another unexpectedly helped. One door closed, another opened!
2. It looks like an unplanned 24-hour stay in Istanbul and a theft :)
I needed to fly to Varna, Bulgaria, so I thought it would make sense to travel from Yerevan via Istanbul, since it’s nearby. What was supposed to be a 6-hour journey ended up in a 24-h delay. Was it annoying? Absolutely. But I also thought to myself: when will I ever again have a legitimate excuse to spend an entire day in bed with no rush and no guilt? And the shower at that hotel was amazing!
But then came the final twist. When I eventually collected my suitcase in Varna, I discovered that it had been opened and ransacked, and several pieces of jewelry were missing.
Now, I have been flying since 1993. Through the chaos of the 1990s, through countries that many people like to call "third world", through Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and countless airports in between. I have traveled with jewelry, laptops, cameras, and all sorts of valuables in my luggage. Never once had I been robbed, until now.
When I filed a complaint, the response I received from Turkish Airlines was essentially: "You should not have packed jewelry in your suitcase" (got to love the “blaming the victim” approach).
And that was the moment I noticed something interesting – my reaction, or rather, the lack of the reaction I would have had five years ago.
***
Five years ago, these events would have consumed me – I would have wasted so much of my time and, most importantly, my precious energy complaining, being nervous and stressed, and feeling sorry for myself.
And that is when I realised that perhaps this is what all those years of inner work were actually for.
Not to create a life where nothing ever goes wrong, because, let’s face it, life will always go wrong, and may whatever unpleasant events I have had in the past couple of weeks be the worst in my life; after all, it is embarrassing to complain about these things when so many people are currently going through truly challenging times in their lives.
People will disappoint and let you down, plans and flights will be canceled, and wars will be started. But each of us has a choice in how we react to and approach adversaries – the amount of suffering we choose to add on top of the event itself.
Looking back, I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about healing, therapy, spirituality, personal development, or whatever label we choose to put on it, is that they believe the reward is a problem-free life.
It isn't.
The reward is that when the problems arrive, they no longer own you. The reward is becoming a person who can meet life exactly as it is (phenomenology).
And somewhere between Paris, Istanbul, a missing crib, a stolen bracelet, and the kindness of complete strangers, I have realised that work is working not because life has become easier, but because I have become calmer.
If you had asked me before what tangible results I expected from all the work I have done over the years — from numerical psychology and Life Scripting to hypnotherapy, regression work, breathwork, therapy, meditation, journaling, yoga, and every other modality that has crossed my path, I probably would have given you a very predictable answer: more clarity, better relationships, more abundance, stronger health, and a greater sense of purpose.
And while all of those things are wonderful, I am starting to think that perhaps the real result may look very different.
1. It looks like Paris. Or rather, the version of Paris we got :)
Let me start by saying that this was supposed to be a highly anticipated family trip after a rather stressful month in the Middle East. We were travelling with a 15-month-old toddler, my niece, Emma, and instead of staying in a hotel, we rented a beautiful apartment in our favourite arrondissement because we wanted something more comfortable, more spacious, and more homely.
On paper, it looked perfect, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different. The apartment itself was beautiful, but the management company, Concrete Management, to be precise, somehow forgot one rather important detail: the baby crib we had ordered, paid for, and reminded them about before our arrival. Not only was the crib missing when we checked in, but despite repeated promises, phone calls, apologies from the manager, and reassurances, they never actually managed to provide one. Twice they sent staff with a crib, and twice the staff was unable to assemble it.
Then, on the third night, Emma fell off the bed she was sharing with Lena, her mom. Thankfully, she was fine, but it was one of those moments that sends a wave of panic through every parent before logic has a chance to catch up.
There was also the issue with the air conditioning. Upon arrival, I noticed a sign on the apartment door stating that the a/c must be switched off between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. When I asked the staff member what we were supposed to do to comply with the rule, the concern was largely dismissed. Unfortunately, Paris was experiencing unusually hot weather during our stay.
On our first night, exhausted after travelling, we forgot to switch the unit off. Around 11:30 p.m., the upstairs neighbour knocked on our door and politely asked us to turn it off. He was respectful and calm, but clearly exhausted. At the time, we saw him as yet another complication in what was already becoming a stressful stay. Later, we realised he had been dealing with the consequences of this situation for years.
When the property manager called to apologize for the ongoing crib situation and assured us that she would personally take responsibility for resolving any issues (which she never did, eventually ignoring my messages altogether and blocking me on WhatsApp), we raised the matter of the neighbour and the air-conditioning restrictions. She informed us that the neighbour had no legal right to bother us and that we could continue using the a/c as we saw fit (as it turned out, this was not true; we later learned that a court hearing between the property owner and the neighbour regarding this very issue was scheduled for June 10).
Miracle #1
But here’s where it gets interesting!
At around 4 or 5 a.m. on Friday night, we were trying to calm Emma after her fall and briefly switched on the a/c for 15 minutes to help settle her. In response, the neighbour rang the doorbell.
At first, our interaction looked more like a heated argument. We were understandably stressed. But so was he – imagine paying all that money to live in a beautiful apartment in one of the most prestigious areas of Paris only to spend years dealing with a revolving door of short-term rental guests because you and your family cannot sleep. But once we both calmed down, we could put ourselves in each other’s shoes and find human decency and understanding.
After learning what had happened with Emma, he and his wife immediately offered us their children's old crib. Not only did they solve a problem the management company had failed to resolve for days, but they did so with kindness, generosity, and absolutely no obligation to help complete strangers – a true miracle that significantly enhanced our stay! And that act of kindness will forever stay in my heart, and I wish him and his family a lot of happiness, abundance, health, and, of course, peace!
Miracle #2
Usually, when I travel to Paris, I make sure I book the most coveted and tastiest places, but travelling with a toddler makes things different, so this time we decided to go with the flow:) And to say that that flow had turned out disappointing is to say nothing – from one of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had in Paris to sashimi ordered through Deliveroo that was clearly not fresh and had to be thrown away without any refund because it happened to be “part of a promotional deal” as per their customer service. Personally, I have always believed that serving questionable raw fish is unacceptable, even when it is free, let alone when customers are paying for it…
Our trip also happened to coincide with PSG winning the Champions League. Overnight, central Paris transformed into a scene of celebration and chaos: fireworks and firecrackers echoed through the streets until 5 a.m., crowds shouted into the night, shop windows were smashed, and police were guarding the street nearby.
Yet we didn't allow any of it to spoil our mood, and that attitude kept paying off.
On our last day in Paris, on International Children’s Day, June 1, Lena and I were taking a walk when she suddenly received a call from a government official with very happy news that wasn’t expected until at least September! So I suggested going to a jewelry designer we wanted to check out and getting something to remember this day by, and there we met a wonderful lady, Hasiba! When she learned that we were Armenian, she became emotional and shared that Charles Aznavour was her favourite singer. It was one of those beautiful moments of connection between complete strangers. And while the odds of meeting someone who admires one of the greatest representatives of our nation in France are quite high, Hasiba's sincerity, kindness, and gentleness made the encounter truly special.
Miracle #3
After days of being ignored by the management company, we asked if we could stay just a little longer because of our flight schedule. No response. At that point, we had already decided to approach whatever happened next calmly.
Fortunately, when the cleaning lady arrived, she turned out to be a wonderful Armenian woman. After hearing our situation, she kindly allowed us to stay for an additional couple of hours, which made the last day significantly less stressful.
Again, the pattern repeated itself: one person failed us, another unexpectedly helped. One door closed, another opened!
2. It looks like an unplanned 24-hour stay in Istanbul and a theft :)
I needed to fly to Varna, Bulgaria, so I thought it would make sense to travel from Yerevan via Istanbul, since it’s nearby. What was supposed to be a 6-hour journey ended up in a 24-h delay. Was it annoying? Absolutely. But I also thought to myself: when will I ever again have a legitimate excuse to spend an entire day in bed with no rush and no guilt? And the shower at that hotel was amazing!
But then came the final twist. When I eventually collected my suitcase in Varna, I discovered that it had been opened and ransacked, and several pieces of jewelry were missing.
Now, I have been flying since 1993. Through the chaos of the 1990s, through countries that many people like to call "third world", through Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and countless airports in between. I have traveled with jewelry, laptops, cameras, and all sorts of valuables in my luggage. Never once had I been robbed, until now.
When I filed a complaint, the response I received from Turkish Airlines was essentially: "You should not have packed jewelry in your suitcase" (got to love the “blaming the victim” approach).
And that was the moment I noticed something interesting – my reaction, or rather, the lack of the reaction I would have had five years ago.
***
Five years ago, these events would have consumed me – I would have wasted so much of my time and, most importantly, my precious energy complaining, being nervous and stressed, and feeling sorry for myself.
And that is when I realised that perhaps this is what all those years of inner work were actually for.
Not to create a life where nothing ever goes wrong, because, let’s face it, life will always go wrong, and may whatever unpleasant events I have had in the past couple of weeks be the worst in my life; after all, it is embarrassing to complain about these things when so many people are currently going through truly challenging times in their lives.
People will disappoint and let you down, plans and flights will be canceled, and wars will be started. But each of us has a choice in how we react to and approach adversaries – the amount of suffering we choose to add on top of the event itself.
Looking back, I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about healing, therapy, spirituality, personal development, or whatever label we choose to put on it, is that they believe the reward is a problem-free life.
It isn't.
The reward is that when the problems arrive, they no longer own you. The reward is becoming a person who can meet life exactly as it is (phenomenology).
And somewhere between Paris, Istanbul, a missing crib, a stolen bracelet, and the kindness of complete strangers, I have realised that work is working not because life has become easier, but because I have become calmer.
JUNE 2026