My Mother died almost 19 years ago. I was 27 at the time, and she poured her life into being a wife and raising my sister, brother and myself (I’m the youngest).
Today’s Mother’s Day and each year I think about her and how she helped direct who I am. I’ve never written about her, so today I want to honor her. She passed a lot of her personality traits on to me; her love for music, her attention to detail, her heart of a teacher. I miss her.
On the business side, she taught me 3 important lessons.
- You’re never too old to change. Mom dedicated her early married life to my Dad and raising her family. She worked some part-time jobs to help with the finances, but ultimately, she waited until we kids had gotten into Jr. High school and then she changed directions. Her lifelong dream was to go to college (the first in our family!) and become a teacher. So at the age of 40, Mom headed back to school and graduated top of her class 4 years later. It’s never too old to go for your dreams!
- Practice will get you closer to Perfect. My mother played the piano. She studied in the Royal Conservatory of Music and completed their highest level. But she didn’t get there easily. I can still remember falling to sleep hearing her practicing arpeggios and scales. When she was to perform, we heard the song MANY times before she would perform it flawlessly. If you want to be (almost) perfect, you have to practice.
- Commit to whatever you’re doing. Mom had lots of dreams and did lots with us. She was a Mom, a Wife, a Teacher. After teaching for a few years, my Dad asked if she’d work as his office coordinator in his bicycle repair and sales business. And she did. Whatever Mom did, she committed her best to it. And she always wanted it to be successful. Everything wasn’t always perfect for her, but she always gave her all, did it the best she could, and she stayed with it to the end.
Now I take the things she’s taught me and perfect them in my own life. We can all use these lessons to become better business leaders. What has your Mom taught you? Thank her if you can. Happy Mother’s Day!
