Dagmawit Kifle Bekele: Moving in Stillness

Dagmawit, better known as Daggy, was born in Addis Ababa and raised in Dessie by a single parent—her father. Daggy’s father was a teacher and believed in the power of education. He continuously reminded her that education was the only thing he can offer her and it was her responsibility to use that as a path to a better life. He instilled in her self-worth, addressing her as a Queen.  

Having little resources growing up and understanding what financial independence could do, Daggy was determined to work hard and enjoy what life had to offer. From early on she developed a love for reading, one of the habits inherited from her dotting father. She not only became a voracious reader but imagined herself in the stories and owned the characters she read. Her father kept a diary of her reading including titles, authors and dates—another habit she inherited.

Financial success was at the top of her priorities. Providing the best life for her father and younger siblings was a driving force in her life. That was the push behind her becoming an excellent student in school. There was no room for mistakes as she was the firstborn and felt responsible for transforming the life of the whole family. Her father always wanted her to be a doctor but Daggy was driven to the social sciences. She earned her first degree in law from Bahirdar University.

Life at the University brought Daggy a false sense of freedom as any college kid would feel but soon, she remembered the message from her father and quickly refocused on her vision.

Upon graduation her first job took her to Liberia to work for a company called DYN Corp international. Not only this meant that she would be working on Human rights, something she is passionate about but it was also a highly paying job. She was only in her early twenties and it was already evident that she could financially transform her family’s life. She worked for DYN for three years.

Daggy’s next move was to Manchesters to do her masters specializing in International Business Law at the University of Salford. Equipped with the knowledge of International Law, Daggy returned to establish a trading company, RIDAG Import & Export that expanded to the construction and real-estate sector. Daggy also owns a law firm “Dagmawit Bekele & Associates” to provide legal consulting services for international companies. In addition to running her businesses, Daggy sits on boards of different organizations.

Daggy was living the life she dreamt of and thought that she had everything under control until a tragedy struck; her beloved father passed away. Taking him to every corner of the world to save his life didn’t work. Drinking and bargaining with her creator became daily experiences. Daggy confesses that the extent to which she suffered his loss became the reason for her awakening.

Daggy started questioning her purpose in life “Why am I here?”. That was when she rediscovered the book “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” by Eckhart Tolle. She had read the book while she was in the university but she wasn’t ready then to grasp the idea. Rereading the book in the midst of her awakening guided her to her purpose in life –her family and her contribution to society. She then went on exploring and read all four of Eckhart’s books. She finally accepted that the person who meant the world to her was gone. A profound awakening, an in depth knowing that “Everything is temporary” and the only time that counts is NOW!

Daggy says accepting the present moment as it is and being fully present in the now is an incredible power we all have. She embarked on her journey of practicing presence and Eckhart Tolle is her spiritual mentor. Daggy lives from within and anything that happens on the outside doesn’t shake or excite her to the extreme. She also listens to her intuition and never does things that she feels are not aligned with her true purpose.

Daggy always had the urge to serve others and share her truth. Once she felt ready, she contemplated sharing what she knows with the world and becoming the reason for the transformation of others. Her idea to best accomplish that was through a talk show. Confident in her ability to make this venture a success but realizing the consequences of being a public figure, it took her a while to plunge into it but she took the risk and Daggy Show was born.

As soon as Daggy show aired on EBS channel, Daggy’s name spread like wild-fire in the country. The show helped Daggy accomplish her desire to reach the masses and share her philosophy in life “The Power of NOW”—living in the present.  The show offers inspiring and real stories that resonate with many. The messages represented the changes needed both individually and collectively. Daggy Show that lasted for over two successful years transformed the lives of many. As Daggy is a person who embraces change readily with a desire for fierce independence, she wants to take the show to the next level independently and paused the show for a while. But always true to her desire to reach the public at large to disseminate her message, we are soon to find her through a podcast.

Daggy delivers 6 weeks master class, “Daggy’s life class”. Hundreds of her students have been transformed through these classes.

Leadership for Daggy is all about “Showing the way”. She guides people she works with to pursue what drives them from within. She also believes understanding the intentions behind people’s actions plays an important role in understanding situations and people.

Daggy expresses her typical day “Once I wake up, I’m on the move”. First thing in the morning, she practices breathing exercises and prayer. She then spends some quality time with her son, Nathan before she leaves for the gym. Once in office, she holds meetings with different people, visits different organizations, and takes care of other responsibilities. Daggy is very protective of her time. She accepts fewer invitations to events and returns home early.

Daggy is grateful for her family – her brother and his wife who she considers a sister, her little sister, and Nathan. She is also grateful for her long-time friends who have been through thick and thin together. She says “I have the right people around me”.

Daggy’s advice to the youth is to focus on the positive and the present moment. She says “What you focus on expands”; “Know that you are enough exactly as you are!”

As a voracious reader, she spends most of her leisure time reading. She also loves traveling. Recently, she attended a six days retreat with Eckhart Tolle in Hawaii which she expresses as the peak of her experience. Her motto in life is “ሰው መሆን ዘራችን ፍቅር ሀይማኖታችን ይሁን” which translates in to “May humanity be our race and love our religion.”

AWiB thanks Daggy for her gift of time to share her inspiring story.

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