Mother’s Day
Recently I ran a half marathon and in order to make the miles pass by, I dedicated each mile to someone in my life who inspires me to be a better person. I considered each and every trait of that person for the entire mile, and my mom was one of them. In light of Mother’s Day, I want to take a moment to share some of my thoughts from race day on this woman who raised me to be the confident, happy, independent woman I am today.
Ask around, and I think you will find that mothers can be quite inspiring for many people. Moms are often regarded as the ‘selfless’ ones; she who often ‘forgets herself’ for years while caring for her children and family. Putting her career on hold to raise the family. You get the picture, and maybe you are one of them.
Selfless, motivated, honest, generous, hardworking, supportive are some of the words I ascribe to her. A mother to four children (I am the eldest) I’ve seen her develop into a leader as she’s seen me grow up and become a mother. Given a stressful or new situation, she would always have something in her back pocket, which I absolutely admire. This has taught me to always have a ‘plan b’; because in life the only thing we are guaranteed is that there is no guarantee. What is her source of energy?
AA: Who inspires you?
SA: My father. He was a hardworking, generous man who built a beautiful, successful business and raised 11 children. His 5 sons have carried on his business, while maintaining his values and the business continues to grow. He was the kind of man who could maintain his composure in the midst of chaos. And he took care of himself by dedicating an hour for a brisk morning walk every single day before he went to work.
As the eldest of 11 children, my mother was a natural born leader. I grew up watching her siblings ask her for advice on all kinds of issues, big or small. I also observed her ask for advice on life ’s little problems too. This taught me that leaders too could be followers. Always be humble, she says. My dad calls her the ‘quiet leader’ of the family.
I remember one time towards the end of graduate school, I was in a really negative mood, depressed and frustrated. I was a part-time student, barely working, and a full-time mom, overall I felt like I was not getting anywhere. I was creating a story in my mind that the lack of my success was due to poor academic advising. How am I going to finish and ever get a job? I was frustrated and hopeless.
SA: No one is going to open the door for you if you don’t knock. No one is going to create your life for you ; you have to do it yourself. If you want to seize an opportunity, you have to go get it. No one but you can do that. Anything you want, you have to go get it yourself, don’t wait for someone to hand it to you.
AA: What lesson(s) do you want us 4 to live by?
SA: Live your life with a purpose. I tell my children, whatever career you choose, do it well; do it at 100%. I once asked her to join me for a brisk walk, knowing that hadn’t been keeping up with her fitness routine and so we would probably walk at slower pace, yet we started walking and she just took off saying, if you are going to make it a brisk walk, do it!
Regarding raising children: She adheres to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and has advised me to ‘be a friend’ to my children and teach them Qur’an.
I hope you can take this opportunity to reflect on the amazing values and virtues of your own mother, and please share those words of wisdom! Happy Mother’s Day!
