It takes a lot to be a mother. It is emotional, but yet you have to be the rock that supports others. It is exhausting, but as a mother, you must keep going. You worry about your children, what they will achieve and what their future holds, but yet, you must have hope that they will find success.

A mother is selfless and unselfish, they are one person who does the work of twenty people, all for free. I firmly stand by the statement that my mother is one of the strongest, bravest, most intelligent woman that I know. I would not have the dreams, goals, and aspirations that I do now without her. I would not be living the life I am currently living if it were not for her influence.

My mom has helped shaped me into the powerful, independent woman that I am today, and today I share some of her wisdom with you.

1. She taught me that your parents and friends can see a toxic relationship before you can.

As an individual who strives to please others, I frequently give individuals the benefit of the doubt. I find it difficult to cut someone out of life, whether the relationship is successful or not. One thing I have learned is that sometimes you have to trust the guts of those around you before you can trust your own intuition. Because of the concept of "rose-colored glasses," what a person may be showing you is not always who they really are. I have learned that if your friends or your family don't like an individual, then there's a chance they are bad news. So while I still look to make every person I bring into my life happy, I have been able to bring people of value into my life, and people who will truly be in it for the long haul.

2. She taught me not to borrow trouble from the future.

This is one of the biggest lessons I have learned as I have grown older. For so long I found fear in taking risks because I would create scenarios of poor situations that could happen. This held me back from a great many challenges that I could have experienced. Learning to take the risk, and not worry about the what if, is a struggle I am still working to overcome. But that constant reminder from my mom to not take life too seriously, and that you can't control the future so why worry about it so much, is an idea that is truly helping me overcome this concept.

3. She taught me that you meet your best friends in college.

This wasn't a concept that I truly understood until I got to college. Now I am surrounded by people that I love and adore, and this statement finally makes sense.

4. She taught that my goals and passions are important and that if I truly want something then I have to work for it.

If achieving your goals was easy, then it would be a lot easier to live life. But challenges exist for a reason, and one is that so you can live in the satisfaction of overcoming them. It is hard to live in a world where your goals and plans for the future are not necessarily supported by everyone around you. But I have been able to learn from my mom that this is your life, and it should be lived the way that you want it to be. It is important to take in and value other's opinions, but they are not you. You are only given one chance to achieve what you want to achieve, so do it.

5. She taught me that it's OK for your passions to change, and to not be afraid to seek new passions.

Throughout my college career, I haven't lost any passions, but I have been lucky to gain so many. I have found opportunities and been given chances to experience ideas that I never thought possible. The amount I have achieved in my short college career thus far is incredible, and I owe it all to the woman who encourages me to just go for it because what have I got to lose.

6. She taught me you have to be independent in order to then be dependent.

This is a huge lesson that I have had to learn. My mom taught me that you have to be comfortable with yourself and being by yourself in order to let someone else into your life. If you aren't comfortable with who you are, then it is difficult to put yourself in the vulnerable place of being with another person. By finding out who you are and who you want to be, this allows for the opportunity to be positively influenced by others as well.

There are so many more lessons that I have learned, and so many more I have to learn. Overall, my mom taught me what it takes to be a good person. What it takes to be strong, how to find the joy in things, how to be happy. I owe who I have become as a person to my best friend and the woman I aspire to be. I would be lucky to be even half as incredible as my mom is, so thank you mom, for teaching me to be me.