I know my opinion may be a little biased, but I think I was raised by the best mom in the whole world. Through all of the growing and changing I've done in my life, there are a few extremely beneficial things my mom taught me that forever changed who I am.
1. Always show up
Whether it was Girl Scouts, soccer practices, elementary school, or the class everyone was skipping, my mom always forced me to go to every single meeting, school day, or practice and today it has become a part of who I am. Accountability is something you don't find all too often today and I am so thankful to have acquired this skill thanks to my mom never letting me miss anything, ever.
2. Be the bigger person
My mom has listened to every single catastrophe, no matter how big or small, throughout my life and one solution she was always sure to answer with was to "be the bigger person." Which essentially means to suck it up and rise above the problem at hand, even if you may have sacrificed something in the process. Still today I find myself being the bigger person more and more throughout my current catastrophes, even if it sucks a little it fills your heart knowing you didn't sink to the level of the problem.
3. Never be in pain when you don't have to be
My mom has always been a strong believer that since there is a pill for virtually any kind of pain you could possibly endure, why endure it? Needless to say, I have pills for almost any kind of need or pain possible stashed in my dorm.
SEE ALSO: Things I Learned From Mom When She Thought I Wasn't Looking
4. Put the hard work in
It's almost never easy, and no one ever wants to do it but to get where you need to go or what you want to achieve, hard work is necessary. From volleyball practices and part-time jobs in high school to all the hard work college requires, I don't think I'd be where I am today without this lesson from my mom.
5. Sometimes hard work doesn't equal results
I would work my butt off at volleyball practice all week leading up to Thursday's game and I would still ride the bench the whole game. At first, I was very frustrated with this terrible phenomenon but my mom never failed to remind me that unlike some of the girls on the court, I had done my part and put my 110% in every day. I had the satisfaction of knowing I worked my absolute hardest, even if the results didn't show their face on game day. Sometimes (okay, most times) it sucks putting in work and getting nothing in return, but it builds a strong individual who doesn't expect to receive something every single time they work hard.
6. You may have to bend a little for people, but don't break for them
I remember when she first told me this one, we were on our way back from a bike ride and at my age, I took this a little more literally than I should have. But today, I realize that this is so embedded into who I am that it was hard to recall this one at first. I stay true to who I am and what I believe, I bend a little for my friends who will always be a little different than I am, but I never break who I am.
7. Kill 'em with kindness
Another tried and true motto of my mom's. She would always use this response and when I was younger it made me madder than anything that she wanted me to be nice to people who were being mean to me but now I use this as a power over other people. To use kindness as a weapon is an art she helped me master.
8. Always do a little more than you have to
Whether it's putting a little extra detail and words into an essay than you have to, bringing your hairdresser coffee to your appointment, or helping someone at work even though you already clocked out, always doing a little more than I have to has gotten me pretty far in life this far. Thanks, mom.
