Mothers are meant to guide you through life. They are there for your first steps, your first words, your first day of school, and so on. No matter how many times you may get irritated at your mother for nagging you, giving you a harsh reality check, or giving you unwanted advice just remember that she has your best interest in mind. Throughout my life, my mom has imparted some of her wisdom to me, the kind of advice that may not have seemed entirely helpful at the time, but has stuck with me throughout the years and has helped shape me as a person.

Work hard at everything you do

My mom is an extremely hard worker, a trait which many people have admired her for. At work, she'll stay hours past when she's supposed to leave and skip breaks just to get the job done. At home, she's the person that motivates everybody to get things done (even though the rest of us might moan and groan about doing said task). I see so many people nowadays that take the easy way out of all of their jobs, that won't even do the bare minimum at times. I'm glad my mom instilled her work ethic in me so I didn't turn into one of those people.

Do your best

This piece of advice has come up multiple times throughout the years. Whether I'm struggling with a class or feel like I'm failing at some aspect of my life a simple reassurance such as "do your best" can be comforting. I know that I'm not always going to excel at everything I do in life, but as long as I do my best I should be okay.

Don't worry about things you have no control over

This is something I've had to be told many, many times during my life. If you're worried about: accidentally missed an important meeting or event, feeling like you may just failed a test, or somebody not liking you, keep these words of advice in mind. You may feel horrible after experiencing these kinds of situations, but you ultimately have no control over the outcome. Why get all worked up about something that you can't change? Look towards bettering the future instead of fretting over the past.

Don't let what other people say get to you

This concept can be extremely hard to grasp during those middle school and high school years when you're striving for approval from everybody. It can be devastating to hear people say bad things about you or to know that somebody doesn't like you, but these people don't define your life, YOU do. This isn't to say that I'm no longer self conscious or completely don't care what people have to say, but I definitely have a thicker skin now than I used to.

Thank you, mom, for the words of advice for the past nineteen years and for the years of guidance still to come. I love you.