my mom is the bomb.

In an interview this week:

“What makes you so successful and amazingly great, McGee?”
“Uh, my mom. Duh.  Google her.”

Ok so it didn’t quite go down like that but almost. Sitting through an interview this week (hopefully more to come about that on another day) I was asked why I was successful-where did my drive come from? I had to take a minute and adjust my answer because the first thing I thought was “I was just born and bred this way.” And I wasn’t sure that was the answer he was looking for.

You see, when it came to business, my mom has lived the Cinderella story-without the whole evil step sisters kind of thing and she didn't need a prince to save her-she dd that on her own. My mom got knocked down a couple times and always stood back up. Not only that, but she stood up with determination and the wherewithall to kick some serious ass and do it well. I’ve watched her succeed in business in any realm she applied herself with various degrees of financial reward and just grew up thinking that’s what you’re supposed to do. I just didn’t know any better I guess.

I’ve been knocked down a couple times. I don’t get back up as gracefully as her yet and my degrees of financial reward pale in comparison but hey-I’m only in my 30’s. I’m just getting started! But I have a hell of an example to follow. Everything that followed in that interview I could trace back to something my mom told me, showed me or expected from me at an early age.

On a randomly related note…Mr. Man and I were sitting outside the other night chatting and he told me his advice for Little Man once he was old enough to understand, would be to take a good hard look at your girlfriend’s mother. If you don’t love the mother, don’t marry the girl because odds are good…that’s what you’ll get. And seeing as how he married me even after knowing my mom really well in life and in business, I’ll take that as a huge compliment!

All this to say-today is my mom’s birthday and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate her than to play to my strengths that she gave me, fostered in me and expected from me (AND to remind her that her son-in-law loves her too). Us girls tend to rail against the “you’re just like your mom” card as teenagers but the older I get the more I hope people do see the parts of me that are just like my mom. I’m really good with that-bring it on!

Happy birthday mom!

-McGee