My Mom, My Hero

You know how people say every mother is an angel in disguise? I couldn't agree more.

One of the biggest role models in my life has been my very own mom and in this post I hope to share with you some of the greatest life lessons my mom has taught me up until this day.

1) We all have something to give.

In the fifth grade our family were going through some rough financial times.. and despite the hardships.. my mother would always do her best to shower us with love and care, which in my opinion is worth more than any dollar could ever buy.

One day, I remember walking out of our local supermarket and as we walked towards our car we noticed a woman in rugged clothing with a bruised eye holding her newborn which immediately shocked both my mom and I. I instantly felt a huge wave of sympathy for this woman as I heard my mom kindly ask her:

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

The woman then responded back with tears in her eyes as she said:

"My abusive husband has left my child and I on the streets alone... please... please could you help us with eating our next meal?"

My mother without any hesitation reached into her purse, grabbed a $20 note (which 20 years ago was enough to feed our whole family for a week) and kindly handed it to the mother as she subsequently replied back with:

"Thank you. Thank you so much"

They say life is not judged by the number of breaths we take but by "the moments that take our breath away". That was certainly one of those moments that has shaped me in understanding the true act of giving and how no matter what we are going through.. there is always someone else out there who is having it harder than us so be patient, don't make assumptions and always be open-hearted enough to hear other people's stories.

2) The power of unconditional love.

So what makes dogs the most loved animal in the world? The fact that they are always happy to see us and love us humans unconditionally no matter how many times we shout at them for barking or when they do the "wrong" thing.

We as humans can definitely learn a thing or two from this..

Moreover, the first big influence in my life who taught me about the power of unconditional love is of course my own mother.

I remember days of being a teenager.. I would say not so nice things, raise my voice and be an absolute idiot because all I wanted to do was play guitar, break dance and study. No matter what I said.. my mother would always reply with the response "Hung, you know I am only saying this to you because I love you and care for you?". Looking back to those times absolutely melt my heart and produce a deep level of gratitude within me which I wished I had at that time. But looking in retrospect isn't productive so I have decided to move forward to love those around me unconditionally despite whatever happens. Majority of the time we assume the way people are acting or the impulsive things they say on any given day is a reflection of their character when most of the time.. if we just stopped and asked them what their story was we would find out the truth and discover that they are either hurting or going through a tough time.

3) Men and women are complimentary not conflicting species.

If you're in my network you may have often heard me say "men are from Mars and yes, women are from Venus but at the end of the day we should all be down to Earth". We can indeed work together so that 1+1 = 11 and not just "2".

BUT... let's face it.

Men will never understand women 100% and nor will women understand men 100% but that's not what matters. What matters most is that each of us are willing to put in "effort" to understand each other. Just that selfless act alone can change our life, our relationships and all the great things in between. As the late, Stephen Covey once said "Seek first to understand than be understood".

4) Never stop believing.

If it's one significant trait I have seen in remarkable parents it is the act of a parent being able to believe more in their child than their child appears to believe in themself. I remember in high school when I was studying 5 hours a day to ensure I would get into the university course I strived for and at times.. I would get test scores which appeared to be "unfair" but no matter what the outcome was my mother would always make an effort to re-iterate the importance of giving it your "best shot" and not being attached to getting a test score of 100%.

5) Treat people how THEY want to be treated.

This may sound counter intuitive as society constantly tells us "treat people how you want to be treated" but let's stop for a moment here.. If you enjoy others yelling crude comments at you.. Do you think the graceful grandma down the street feels the same way? Or would she rather you treat her with respect and adoration as oppose to how YOU want to be treated? I learnt this BIG lesson at age 23 when I realized that the importance of adapting to various social situations is absolute key to building invaluable relationships but you need to first treat people how THEY want to be treated.

So there you have it. 5 of the many life lessons my mother has taught me from a young age.

And.. you know that saying "behind every successful man is a supportive woman?" I couldn't be more proud to say that throughout the journey of what we call "life"... that supportive woman has always been my very own mother.

Love you lots mom!

Hung

P.s. What life lessons are you most grateful for? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.