Make it happen

Sunday is Mother’s Day and I thought that was a good time to tell you about the lessons I learned from my mother.

I have the best mom in the world.
Really.

She reminds me of that Mariah Carey song ‘Make it happen’:

“If you believe in yourself enough and know what you want
You’re gonna make it happen (Make it happen)”

The woman is my biggest supporter and greatest criticaster at the same time. She always taught me to believe in myself. Which is the best gift you can give to a young girl growing up. You can’t hide from her. She just showers you with unconditional love. And I do realize how fortunate I am, because not everyone has a mom and if they do it is not always a great relationship.

So what have I learned from my mom when it comes to personal branding? A lot! But let’s focus on her 4 most important lessons.

– Don’t be afraid to try something new.
I guess I learned this at an early age. When my parents divorced, my mom moved us from Rotterdam to Amsterdam and that took courage. She felt she had nothing to loose and looking back that moment has defined my life, because I realized you can always start over. Since that first move she has had several moments of doing new things and she always looked at every situation like she was Pippi Lockstocking: “I have never tried that before, so i think I should definitely be able to do that”.

– You can always re-invent yourself.
After we moved to Amsterdam my mom started going to school again. Before that she had never finished high school, but she pushed herself and kept on learning, even getting a degree a few years ago in holistic studies (after a long career as a social worker).

– Your mindset is everything.
Growing up my mom always said “when it comes to money I can do magic “. Her motto was never worry, it will turn out ok. She was always so positive! And that made me always look at the bright side of life. Ofcourse you have setbacks, but if you continue to keep getting up and moving forward in the end everything will be ok.

– Speak up and be heard.
My 2 brothers and I are not afraid to speak our minds. No really, you can’t shut us up! This comes from the fact that we were always encouraged to speak up as children, much to the annoyance of several elders. We were told to tell the truth and stay true to our believes.

You know they say mom knows best? Well in my case it definitely is the truth. My mum knows best.

So tell me ladies, what have you learned from your mom?

XOXO,

Nancy