With Mother’s Day this weekend in the U.S. and other countries across the globe, Catalyst staffers are sharing the best career tips and work advice their mothers or maternal figures gave them. We hope it inspires you. How did the maternal figure in your life positively influence your career? Share with us on social using #CatalystCommunity.
“My mom has always told me to give my all in all that I do and everything will fall into place. Her belief in my ability to do great things has pushed me to set a goal for myself to exhibit passion and drive in my work. That hard work and dedication has afforded me 20+ years in telecommunications and landed me my role at Catalyst today.” —Terrence U. |
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“My mom was a kindergarten teacher in the same Brooklyn public school for 39 years. She loved her career, but she also knew, as a woman, her career options were limited to nurse, teacher or secretary, even with a degree from Hunter College. As all parents do, she wanted more for her children: more options, more money, more respect, and recognition.” —Emily C. |
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“My grandma was kind, wise, thrifty, and persisted in achieving her goals with limited knowledge and resources. She taught me the value of being nimble, persevering when challenges arise, giving back, and having a bigger vision of myself than my circumstances dictate.” |
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Michael C. said his mother’s advice about compassion has been a guiding principle. “For me, it was an important thing to know, and knowledge I felt I had well before it was necessary to utilize it in many ways. The notion of leading with compassion and empathy, and even forgiveness for oneself and otherness, has always felt like a blessed, teachable moment to me.” |
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My mom always told me that money means having choices, freedom, and power. I have always taken her advice to heart and share it today with my own daughter.
—Emily |
“My mother worked as a florist, and she taught me that your actions speak as loudly as your work. She didn’t say it as much as she showed it in the many small acts of kindness she demonstrated. For her, Mother’s Day, and the time leading up to it, meant many extra hours added to her work day, all of them spent on her feet, as was the case with most other holidays too. And yet, arriving home during the wee hours of Valentine’s Day she would tie a heart-shaped balloon on my bedpost. She found ways to make the hard work a little easier and the days a little brighter, and I carry that with me each day.” —Megan K. |
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“My mom was originally a teacher and then left to raise three kids. Eventually, she went back to get her Masters in social work and ended up with a PhD in psychology. She was even published in Psychology Today and became a Masters & Johnson sex therapist. She raised us to be independent and reinforced that we could be anything we wanted to be. She role-modeled that. She always told us that life has different phases and that you can be successful and not have it all happen at the same point in time.” —Lorraine H. |
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