Lessons Learned...

from my Mom.
Mother's Day is this Sunday, and even though I won't be there to celebrate with my mom in person, that doesn't mean I won't be thinking about her on this special day.

So, here are 5 things I learned from my mom:

1. How to deal with negative people - Since my mother is incredibly beautiful, she had (and still probably has) a lot of umm...(lack of a better term) "haters" out there. But what never ceased to amaze me is the fact that she has NEVER let it bother her. She always ended up winning them over with her exuberant personality, or she completely ignored them. Growing up with the pressures of high school and college, it was always a relief to fall back on knowing that killing people with kindness is the worst thing you could do to negative people in your life.
2. Save for a rainy day - Before my parents divorced, my mom would set aside a small amount per paycheck in her special savings account - just enough NOT to notice, but enough for it to add up after some years. When they divorced, she luckily had that money for a down-payment on an apartment and furniture. Saving up money a little at a time is the best way to go because you just never know...
3. Don't sweat the small stuff - I am, by nature, a big stressball. I stress about everything from schedules to what to eat and wear. My mom could see it was eating me from the inside-out. She has an amazing ability to put things into perspective, and really, if you have no control over it, why stress about it? That's how you get wrinkles.
4. Proper posture - As a kid, no one wants to stand or sit up straight, but my mom always insisted on me doing so. How? By constantly poking my back, it was so annoying! Now, I definitely see the benefits, having proper posture sets me apart from my friends who constantly slouch, and also exudes confidence.
5.Stupid/Smart/Wise - She would always say: stupid people never learn from their mistakes, smart people learn from their own mistakes, but wise people will learn from other people's mistakes.

What about you guys? What did you learn from your mom?