Happy International Women’s Day to all the amazing women in the world and in my life.
I also want to pay tribute to a someone to whom I’m forever grateful — spoiler alert, it’s my Mom.
She was a force of nature. A full-time mother raising two kids, living on a farm in Cookstown, Ontario, while holding down a full-time job at a hotel in Toronto, an hour’s drive away. I honestly don’t think she slept.
I learned about the value of hard work from my mom. But it was another trait of hers that would fundamentally change my life and guide my future success.
A gift for people
Mom was a genuine people person. She loved them, they loved her right back. And then they would introduce her to more people, who would invite her to more places.
Once I noticed Mom’s ease with people, it became a fascination. And then came the insight that opened up everything for me.
Although I didn’t have a clear career vision at the time, I had entrepreneurial blood in my veins. I could see enough to know that I may have a product I’m trying to sell or an opportunity I’m trying to facilitate. And I recognized that people may or may not like the product or the investment, but I was highly confident that when I walked away, they would like me.
Mom may not have realized it at the time, but by just being herself, she was actually giving me a golden key to unlock my own true self — and limitless possibilities.
Here’s a takeaway for you: Human connection is more important than ever. Forget the transaction and focus on the relationships. It always has been and always will be about people.
My takeaway is that everything I am, I owe to Mom.