My Mother's Best Advice
Sunday, May 10, 2015
I meant to post this earlier, but life happened and there were more important places to be than on this blog. At least it's going up today in tribute to not just my Mom, but all of the amazing women and men of my family who have helped shape who I am and always let me know I am loved.
I’m a new mom and still trying to figure things out. While I’m sure I’ll never figure everything out, there is one thing that I am absolutely sure of - I don’t appreciate my Mother enough. I don’t know if there will ever be a way for me to repay the countless times she took care of me when ill, the endless nights she spent worrying about my well-being, the stressful hours she worked to send me to school, the thousands of miles driven taking me to soccer practice, and the very big gift of giving me life - yes, she has done just a few small things for me over the years.
But one of the best things my Mother ever did for me was to give me good advice. I was in fifth grade and worried sick over a flute audition. I am sure I practiced until my parents’ and sister’s ears were bleeding, but my fingers still shook when I held the instrument in my hands. And if I'm honest, I was not the best flutist in the world, so I probably had reason to worry. I would have done anything to get out of performing my audition.
I remember my mom driving me to school that day and looking over at me with a concerned look on her face. And then she gave me one very sound and simple piece of advice.
To this day, when I feel anxious or nervous before an important presentation or meeting, I can still hear my Mother’s voice in my head reminding me to visualize myself presenting flawlessly with grace and composure. I don’t focus on the words or if I have everything memorized, instead I just embrace a feeling of confidence and positivity that immediately changes my attitude. I can do this - my Mom said so.
As a mom myself now, there have been many moments where I have had no idea what to do and have felt myself panic over the decisions I am making in raising my child. These moments of fear are a million times worse than any nerves I had before a flute audition. And it is in these moments that I remember the best part of my Mom’s advice. After sharing her visualization trick, she then shared this key piece of wisdom:
And this is what gets me through the tough times. My Mother loves me and I know it. It is by far the most incredibly selfless and phenomenally wonderful thing my Mother has ever done for me and for which in a million years I will never be able to repay her. I pray that I can do the same for my daughter and even if the only place where things go perfectly is in her head, she will always know how much she is loved.
Thank you, Mama. And I love you too.
“Imagine the audition in your head and visualize yourself performing it perfectly. Stop worrying about it, and instead keep that image in your head until your audition.”
To this day, when I feel anxious or nervous before an important presentation or meeting, I can still hear my Mother’s voice in my head reminding me to visualize myself presenting flawlessly with grace and composure. I don’t focus on the words or if I have everything memorized, instead I just embrace a feeling of confidence and positivity that immediately changes my attitude. I can do this - my Mom said so.
As a mom myself now, there have been many moments where I have had no idea what to do and have felt myself panic over the decisions I am making in raising my child. These moments of fear are a million times worse than any nerves I had before a flute audition. And it is in these moments that I remember the best part of my Mom’s advice. After sharing her visualization trick, she then shared this key piece of wisdom:
“and no matter what, I love you.”
And this is what gets me through the tough times. My Mother loves me and I know it. It is by far the most incredibly selfless and phenomenally wonderful thing my Mother has ever done for me and for which in a million years I will never be able to repay her. I pray that I can do the same for my daughter and even if the only place where things go perfectly is in her head, she will always know how much she is loved.
Thank you, Mama. And I love you too.
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