We all seek advice in life...Some of the Best Advice I ever got...I got from my mom

I don't know about your mom, but I think my mom has special physic powers. She always seems to know, even knowing she lives in Boston and I live in PA, just when I need a phone call. Often these phone calls involve her giving me the simple gift of listening and other times she is giving me some much needed advice on parenting, love and work. She just seems to have a special knack and way of giving sound advice (and she does it in a way that is not pushy and demanding) in such a loving and supportive way.

Perhaps your mom has given you some similar advice and you can relate to some of these lessons:

"Give yourself credit for all the good things you do, and forgive yourself for your mistakes. You'll have more than one chance to do things."

My mom has and still continues to remind me that it's ok to make mistakes as long as I learn from them. I have made many mistakes in life and gone through some tough times and throughout them all I always knew that my mom loved and supported me. She never made me feel badly about the tough decisions I had to make and never told me I was making the wrong decision - she just listened and guided me.

"Fight the wars, not the battles!"

Here my mom was telling me that she knew it was going to be tough being a mom to a special needs child, but she believed God gave me this task because he knew just how strong I was and that I could provide for her in a way no one else could. She has reminded me because she personally experienced it, that children grow up fast and I should enjoy every single moment with my daughter. My mom also taught me that I can't live my daughter's life for her but I can teach, guide, support and love her unconditionally. Even in those moments that she isn't happy with me and not liking me - she will know just how deeply I have loved her. You were so right mom!

"Don't try to please everyone"

Just be yourself and know that the people who are still there, sticking by me through all things in my life are there because they choose to be, because they love and respect me.

"Pursue your own dreams and follow your own heart. Don't make life choices based on what you think other people want you to do."

What I've come to realize is that my mom is one of the smartest, strongest, most loving and selfless people I have ever met.

She sacrificed a lot for her children - being home with us when we were little and even for when we'd get home from school, always making sure we ate a home cooked meal and enjoyed it together as a family every night, she was always there with a hug when we were upset, giving my sister and I advice about boys, making all our prom dresses, teaching us how to cook, cry and laugh and she attended every important event in our lives from school plays, to sporting events, to our wedding days and now events with our children.

I watched my mother unconditionally support and love her husband, (aka her best friend) and how she appreciated all that he provided his family. Yes, my mom was part of the generation that stayed home and cared for her children and took care of the home while my father was busy working three jobs. She did it proudly and without a single negative word or complaint. She was happy with this role and I for one am so thankful for all she did for me and my siblings.

As a teenager, my mother took on opening up her own business - a bridal shop in Braintree, MA. She and her business partner have worked over 20 years together providing beautiful dresses, experiences and shared much laughter and tears with women from all over New England. Go into their shop and you will see pictures and albums full of a woman who have purchased their dresses and gowns from my mother's bridal shop, thanking them for all they did to help them have a very memorable wedding. A true testament to the amazing customer service they provide each and every customer.

My mom has done it all.

1. She has raised four children and provided them with great advice and life lessons to be good and productive people that can give back to the world.
2. She has supported her sister through losing her husband and now has to watch her only sister (much like her father) "live" with Alzheimer's.
3. She has lovingly supported her husband as he worked three jobs to provide for his family while she took on much of the child rearing and household things.
4. She has created a very successful business that has impacted so many women's lives as they prepared for their "special" day.

Yes, my mom is still teaching many of the lessons I still need to learn from her. She continues to remind me of the person I can be, congratulates me on the kind of mom I am to my daughter, and she beams with pride in how I have dedicated myself to my company and the clients I support.

Without fail, each and every time we speak she tells me how proud she is of me, the woman and mother I've become and that all those things are my gift back to her.

Funny ~ because all along I thought I was the one receiving the gift!

Many people as they starting getting on with age, start thinking about the legacy they are leaving behind, and I'm not talking about their actual belongings, but experiences and lessons they've shared with the special people in their life. Mom, I don't know if you know this but you have certainly left your mark. My mother has provided an amazing legacy - a legacy of love.

Be sure to tell your mom, not just on Mother's Day, but every day, what she truly means to you, how she has inspired you and the difference she's made in your life.

I wish all the mom's out there a very Happy Mothers Day. I love you mom and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you've done and all you've provided in a way only you could.

My mom of course has shared so much more than I captured here. I even got advice "to wear clean underwear every day because you just never know when you'll be in an accident." LOL Like the doctors would care what my underwear looked like vs. tending to my injury!

What heartfelt or funny words of wisdom and advice has your mom shared with you that you remember and even pass onto your kids?

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Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009