Yesterday was Mother's Day in many countries, a day set aside to honor our mothers for all they have done for us. I've been reflecting on mine as I gathered the pink roses to decorate her grave. Pink was her favorite color. And, for the last several years, this is the only way I can honor her. 

But, not to be maudlin, I realized that much of my identity was shaped by the lessons my mother taught me. I also realized that these lessons were eerily similar to the lessons I strive to teach my sales people about what they need to do to be successful in our business. Mother was a beautician for 60 years, not officially a sales person, but, boy, was she! I learned from watching her interaction with her clientele and with life in general. These lessons have served me well. May I pass them on to you?

1. Organization: Mother had an appointment book in which she wrote all her schedule. I never saw her miss one thing because of forgetting. And, these appointments with clients were not always 9:00-5:00. She....

2. Met her clients when THEY needed to be met, even if it meant working late to accommodate them.

3. Discipline: She was always at work, even when she didn't feel well. She had a job to do, and she was focused on doing it.

4. Understanding her clients: She knew more about the lives and needs of her clients than many of their relatives. She listened to them!

5. She went the extra mile: Maybe it was a bowl of soup if she thought her client was hungry. Maybe it was a jar of face cream. She always found a way to add value to her services.

6. She was always learning. Mother only had an 11th grade formal education. She grew up on a farm during the depression. She had to work instead of finishing school. But she never stopped learning.

7. Loyalty: When I was 9, my father became a paraplegic. She cared for him at home until he died 15 years later.

8. Work hard and never give up: When I was 12, our house burned. We had very little insurance, so my mother and one man rebuilt the house- while she was working in the beauty shop and caring for my dad and me. Talk about extra hours!

9. Creativity: Mother was always working on some project. In her later years, she collected dolls and built a doll museum. This museum had storybook exhibits. She created and physically built them all. I'm pretty sure she would have been a carpenter in another life. In fact, she's probably advising St. Peter on how to renovate the Pearly Gates even as we speak. 

10. Laughter and the value of friendship: And she did both often and well. I remember her ability to have a good time doing anything. She made people feel good just being around her.

11. Trust in a higher power: There are times when we need a power greater than our own to help us cope. There were many times in her life when that was true. I know she felt the help of winged creatures to bear her up during the tough times.

So, what did your mother teach you? Unknowingly, mine gave me the tools to overcome obstacles, to meet challenges and to love life. She provided a living example of a great sales person. She knew: it's not about US, it's about THEM.

Happy Mother's Day!