During a Mother’s Day weekend, as many working moms juggling family and work, I cannot stop thinking how I wouldn’t be the mom I am today without the professional journey I have experienced for the last two decades, and I wouldn’t be the professional I am today without what the journey of being a mom has taught me so far. This is because at the end of each day, we are more than being a parent, a professional, a wife, a daughter, or a friend; and we are more than any accomplishments or mistakes we could count in our lives. What defines and shapes us is:

• To live in alignment with who we truly are or who we have the potential to become.
• To not let us be defined by a single experience of life, a single identity, a single role, specific success or failure.
• To be intentional about the environment and relationships we want to cultivate around us.
• To be intentional about protecting our energy and setting boundaries.
• To see the opportunity afforded by each moment to grow and evolve.
• To live inspired by others as the window to what is possible to create in our lives.
• To find the joy in the moment, one life milestone and chapter at a time.

These are principles that a mom would so dearly want to pass on to her kids.

When we live by these principles, we live awaken, transformed, and empowered. We build our stories of life as the unique sum product of all our roles and life experiences.

“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” — Dr. Seuss

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is…and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” ― Donna Ball, At Home on Ladybug Farm.

Enjoy the gift of self-reflection and be transformed by it!