BELIEVE IN YOURSELF Celebrating two inspiring women in my life

With our ‘Dare to Be’ Women In Leadership conference taking place from June 13-15, I wanted to share two treasured stories from my heart of how encouragement and belief from parents can play a major role in defining how we set out to achieve our dreams. The first story is about the first woman in my life to believe in me since the day I was born, and the second one is about how belief in oneself can start at an early age – with some encouragement from parents.

Unstoppable Heart

My mother returned to school for a nursing degree in her late 30s during the middle of a divorce. Impressive? Well, consider the impossible load of studying, serving in a hospital, and being a full-time homemaker at the same time with two boys – my brother and I weren’t easy! She did not complain or give up, rather she simply pressed on with a smile on her face. I remember how proud I was during her graduation ceremony, even if at the time I was too cool to tell her, “Hey Mom, you inspired me.”

About 15 years ago, she participated in a tennis tournament in North Carolina. While playing, she was summoned to another court where a gentleman had suffered a heart attack. A doctor was next to the victim and announced to my mother, “He has already passed away”. My mother simply brushed the doctor’s words aside and quickly began to give the gentleman CPR. The doctor, slightly embarrassed, jumped in to help. 

After a while, the ambulance arrived and loaded the body into the back, driving off without the siren. I called my mother that night to wish her “Happy Thanksgiving” only to find her depressed. She kept repeating how sad it was for this gentleman to have died over the holiday with his wife and son next to him. She felt terrible for the family. 

A few days later, I called to check on her. She was upbeat and told me that the gentleman had lived. Word had come down through the tennis club that his family was looking for the “doctor and nurse” that saved him. “What did he say to you?” I asked in an excited voice. “Oh, I did not go see them. I was simply happy that he was alive and with his family,” she remarked. It was incredible news and I was so ecstatic.

Even when others give up on someone or something, my mother’s confidence and perseverance keeps others’ hearts beating. I have made some monumental mistakes in my life yet the greatest gift I have ever received was my mother’s belief in me. It helps me to get up, dust myself off, and keep working to be a better person every day. 

She may not have invented penicillin or discovered a rare planet in the galaxy – but she gave us the greatest gift in the world – she taught us to believe in ourselves!

Fast Shoes 

My middle daughter Brooke has always been competitive. I’m not sure where that came from?

When she was in kindergarten, she was fixated on a certain pair of tennis shoes and I searched all over for this specific kind of shoe, but couldn’t find it. So I did what all smart parents do, I invented a make-believe story. I found another pair of shoes, which had flashing lights and told her, “These are ‘fast shoes’ which will make you quicker.” I invited her to try them on and then run up and down the store. I exclaimed, “Wow, you’re already so much faster!” With a huge smile on her face, she ran around some more and then thanked me for making her quicker. Dad was a hero and his reward was a big hug. 

A week later I was visiting her school and she ran up to me, hugged me, and thanked me once again for her “fast shoes”. She then announced that with her special shoes she had become the fastest in her class – even faster than all the boys. “Of course you are,” I stated with all the security of a parent who believes in their child (with the intention of ultimately wanting Brooke to believe in herself). 

It did not end there. Brooke’s belief in her abilities drove her to be one of the top athletes in her school, first in soccer and then lacrosse. She went on to become the captain of her lacrosse team in university and was chosen as “All American” athlete. I’ve always been proud of her accomplishments on the field and academically, but my biggest source of pride is watching her grow up believing in herself. She knows she can compete against anyone – male or female.