What I Learned From My Mother

This article has been written by my friend, Gina Abudi about her mother on Mother's Day. She has been kind enough to let me publish it here for which I would like to thank her. You may refer to her blog http://www.ginaabudi.com/ from which my readers will be able to learn a lot like I have.

A Few Words About Gina Abudi

She is Partner/VP of Strategic Solutions at Peak Performance Group, Inc. She has worked with clients on a variety of strategic initiatives, including conducting Business Impact and ROI studies for training programs and process improvement initiatives, project management, developing strategic learning and development programs, assessing skills, and developing mentoring programs. Gina was honored as one of the Power 50 from PMI® - one of the 50 most influential executives in project management, working to move the profession forward. Gina has served on PMI®’s Global Corporate Council as Chair of the Leadership Team and serves on the PM Summit/BA World Advisory Board. She was previously an Associate Board Member for Simmons School of Management Alumnae Association. Gina has presented at conferences on business impact and ROI, developing project management best practices, building effective teams, and assessing project management skills. Gina received her MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I thought I’d write a short post on what I learned from my mother that has enabled me to be successful in life. And by successful I mean happy, healthy, a great job and able to enjoy life!

First, my mother raised my brother, sister and me by herself. My grandparents (her parents) were nearby and helped. My father was pretty much out of the picture and then once they divorced, we barely saw him and then never heard from him again. It was a struggle growing up, but frankly more so for my mother than us. We never wanted for much. We didn’t go on vacation but never thought about it and didn’t miss it. We were happy! Most important to my mother was that we all went to college – and we did – she saw to that. She wanted it to be better for us than it was for her. I bet you all could say pretty much the same thing about your own mothers!

Here is what I learned from my mother:

Stick up for yourself and what you believe in.

Be good to others.

Be kind to animals.

Treat others with respect – no one is better than someone else.

Share what you have with others.

Look after your brother and sister – you only have each other.

You can do much more than you think you can.

Be honest.

Learn something new every day.

Pay attention to what is going on around you.

Try to make the world a better place.

The list could go on and on!

This blog post is for my mother, Fay. A woman I have always looked up to and admired; an intelligent, caring woman who has gone above and beyond for me, my sister and brother. I learn something from her every day!

p.s. Gina further tells me: My mother may never have said out loud she loved us regularly, but I can tell you we ALWAYS knew that she did! We are who we are today because of her. When I need strength – I can always look to my mother for it.

What I Learned From My Mother