A Special Person in my Life: a Guiding Light

The Special Person in My Life

"The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation." -James E. Faust. I believe that this quote couldn't be more true because my mom taught me everything I know about how to be a better person. My mom is important to me because she raised and took care of me my whole life with patience and kindness, always tolerating me when I was being rude or hard-headed. She taught me to treat others with benevolence and loyalty, in addition to my enemies, whom I was taught to always forgive.

Lastly, my mom taught me to be the best version of myself by being a good role model and always pushing me to help others.

Selflessness and Life Lessons

My mom has always put me and my family before her; she is the most selfless and caring person I know. She recently admitted to me that she originally didn't like to cook because of how long it takes and the mess she has to clean up. However, after starting a family with my dad, she had to cook to feed the family, which is how she developed her newfound love of cooking. I am grateful to my mom for everything she has taught me, as without them, I would not be the person I am today. She taught me to be hardworking and open-minded, as well as how to be a kind and compassionate individual. She engraved in me the importance of always being honest and never taking the easy way out. With all these great things about my mom in mind, I believe her most impressive feat was tolerating me and my brother for fifteen years.

Growing Up with Guidance

The biggest influence on my personality is my mom because she taught me how to behave, and I spent most of my time with her growing up. As long as I can remember, my mom has told me to always forgive and never hold a grudge. This came up often because I have an older brother, who I often nagged, and I would be utterly shocked when he got mad or hit me for it. My brother would get mad, then I would get mad at him for being mad, and then my mom would give us the same long talk about forgiving each other. This talk used to work back when we were younger. However, today, we would agree to forgive each other, and then as soon as my mom is gone, we start fighting again. My mom also taught me when to pick my fights, not exactly fist fights, but when I should stand up for myself or let something go. She told me that it's okay to stand up for myself, but as a kid, I would love to argue, which I often mixed up with standing up for myself. On the other hand, my mom is very humble, and I usually never see her arguing or trying to prove a point to someone. She helped me to become a better communicator by learning how to get my point across without arguing or disregarding another person's opinion.

The Source of My Competitiveness

I would say that I am a competitive person, which I believe was the result of my mom's expectations of me. Most kids would say that their parent's expectations weigh them down and discourage them, but my mom's expectations for me actually motivate and help me. She is never disappointed or angry at me when I don't meet the goals she expects of me. Instead, she encourages me to learn from my mistakes and points out how I can improve. Something I noticed about human nature is that often, when something occurs repetitively over time, such as getting good grades, it is expected, and if it doesn't happen, people get disappointed. This can be why most kids are so pressured by their parents because they have gotten good grades for so long that their parents get mad or even punish them for not getting the expected grades. Nonetheless, my mom is different because every time I succeed or even if I fail, she looks on the bright side and honors my efforts. Rather than bringing me down when I make mistakes, my mom lifts me up, along with my confidence, which is why I'm so competitive today. I'm competitive, so I can make my mom proud and so I can succeed and share that success with my mom for always being there for me.

References:

1. James E. Faust. (n.d.). Quotefancy. Retrieved from https://quotefancy.com/quote/2391022/James-E-Faust-The-influence-of-a-mother-in-the-lives-of-her-children-is-beyond-calculation
2. Tugend, A. (2012, March 23). Praise Is Fleeting, but Brickbats We Recall. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/your-money/why-people-remember-negative-events-more-than-positive-ones.html
3. Hardie-Williams, K. (2017, July 7). How to Help Teens Manage Their Emotions and Accept Their Feelings. Good Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-to-help-teens-manage-their-emotions-and-accept-their-feelings-0705175
4. Reynolds, S. (2011, August 2). Happy Brain, Happy Life. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prime-your-gray-cells/201108/happy-brain-happy-life
5. Alesevich, M. (n.d.). 8 Ways to Prevent Negative Experiences from Getting You Down. Happify. Retrieved from https://www.happify.com/hd/8-ways-to-prevent-negative-experiences-from-getting-you-down/
6. Cherry, K. (2019, April 11). What Is the Negativity Bias. Verywell Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-bias-4589618
7. Marano, H. E. (2003, June 20). Our Brain's Negative Bias. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200306/our-brains-negative-bias
8. Caren, A. (2018, November 1). Why We Often Remember the Bad Better than the Good. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/11/01/why-we-often-remember-bad-better-than-good/

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