Here are three lessons we each learned from our moms:

Mary-Lynn

Be confident in who you are.
I remember coming home from school one day in tears because some girls on the bus had made fun of me. Mom told me it doesn’t matter what other people say. She told me to walk away and ignore them. Don’t stoop down to their level because two wrongs don’t make a right. Then she hugged me and told me how special I was and how much she loved me.

Be willing to sacrifice.
Mom encouraged my sister and me to be in any extracurricular activities in which we were interested. She provided the rides – dropping us off and picking us up. She willingly gave of herself for us.

Think rainbows and butterflies, not gloom and doom.
This was one of mom’s sayings. She encouraged me to get in touch with my creative side and imagine the possibilities. She wanted me to feel free in that happy place. You can’t achieve your dreams if you’re in a gray, stormy place hiding under cover. I use this to this day when I’m having a down day.

George

It’s better to give than receive.
Mom always had this desire to help anyone in need. Even towards the end, as long as she was able, she would do anything to serve others. I remember one time she said that she had driven this “little old lady” to the doctor. Knowing that mom was about 85 at the time, I asked how old this woman was. “Oh, she’s about 87, I suppose.”

Make the most of your money.
Mom was a prodigious saver. She could stretch a penny further than anyone I’ve ever seen.  One way she did this was to make ordinary things extraordinary. There were a number of meals that I thought were something special as a kid. It turned out they were leftovers or made with food that was going to go bad if she didn’t do something with it.

Don’t act your age.
I alluded to this earlier with the “little old lady” story. You’re only as old as you feel. Mom was 43 when I was born. I remember one of my friends coming over when I was a teenager. Mom got out and shot baskets with us. My friend commented on how cool my mom was because his mom would never do anything like that. Just so you know, his mom was at least 20 years younger than mine!

Turning memories into a gift for your mom
On the show, George shared a fantastic gift idea that was his sister Pat’s idea. Along with their two other sisters, they each wrote roughly 90 memories and gave it to their mom so she had a memory to read each day of the year. George said he doesn’t think his mom ever got a gift that made her so happy.

Obviously, it’s too late to do something like this Mother’s Day. But you could give your mom the gift of a memory e-mailed to her every day for the next year. It’s an amazing idea that’s very inexpensive yet very personal. 

Tell us about the lessons you learned from your mom! Leave us a Comment below!

Our bigg quote today is by Nancy Friday, who said:

So thanks, Mom … and Happy Mother’s Day!

Next time, we’ll discuss why you should quit jumping on me like a dog. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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Bigg Fun 24 

(Image by vancity197)

Yesterday, Santa stopped by our studio and told us how he stays so jolly.  Today, we want to share a story about two of Santa’s helpers – you may or may not be familiar with it.

It all began 27 years ago. Larry Stewart was broke. He was also very hungry. He saw a little diner. He went in. He admits that he planned to order breakfast, and then when it was time to pay …. he planned to pretend that he’d lost his wallet. 

The owner of the diner must have had a sixth sense. As Stewart had finished eating, the owner came out from behind the counter and bent down to pick something up from the floor. “Here,” he said to Stewart, “you must have dropped this.” It was a $20 bill!

Stewart made a vow that day. He would help others whenever he could. He did just that. He started immediately. When he had some spare money, he would find someone in need and share his good fortune.

As time passed, Stewart started and succeeded in his own business. But every year, at Christmas, you could see him looking for people who needed a lift. He would give them cash … asking only that they help someone else in return. He became known as “the secret Santa.”

That’s because he did all of this anonymously. We only learned his identity last Christmas, as he realized it would be his last – you see, he was losing his fight with cancer. We lost Larry Stewart in January. During his life, he managed to give away about $1.3 million as the secret Santa.

But his legacy isn’t over. As Stewart lay dying in his hospital bed, a fellow businessman and friend promised Stewart that the mission would be carried on – the businessman vowed to be the next secret Santa. This year, he has crossed the United States going to thrift stores, laundromats, bus stations, and the like handing out $100 bills – maybe one, maybe more – to people in need.

By Christmas, he will have given out $75,000 of his own money. He says he gets a great return – the joy that it creates for him and the people who receive his gift. They know that they’ve received an unconditional gift – based on nothing more than one human being caring for another.

Here’s the secret Santa in action. A couple lost one of their four children to a rare form of cancer in November. They faced incredible medical bills. They warned their remaining kids that Christmas might not come this year.

One day, they heard a knock on their door. Standing there was the secret Santa. He handed them $1,000!

We thought it appropriate today to quote the new secret Santa. 

“Secret Santa lives in each and every one
of us, it’s just a matter of letting him out.”

The good news is that this idea is catching on. More and more people are contacting the new secret Santa. Even interning with him to see how he does it. You can see too in this special report from CBS.

Next time, we’ll discuss the timeless secret for overcoming all the odds … for making your star shine bright.

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Yesterday, Santa stopped by our studio and told us how he stays so jolly.  Today, we want to share a story about two of Santa’s helpers – you may or may not be familiar with it.

It all began 27 years ago. Larry Stewart was broke. He was also very hungry. He saw a little diner. He went in. He admits that he planned to order breakfast, and then when it was time to pay …. he planned to pretend that he’d lost his wallet. 

The owner of the diner must have had a sixth sense. As Stewart had finished eating, the owner came out from behind the counter and bent down to pick something up from the floor. “Here,” he said to Stewart, “you must have dropped this.” It was a $20 bill!

Stewart made a vow that day. He would help others whenever he could. He did just that. He started immediately. When he had some spare money, he would find someone in need and share his good fortune.

As time passed, Stewart started and succeeded in his own business. But every year, at Christmas, you could see him looking for people who needed a lift. He would give them cash … asking only that they help someone else in return. He became known as “the secret Santa.”

That’s because he did all of this anonymously. We only learned his identity last Christmas, as he realized it would be his last – you see, he was losing his fight with cancer. We lost Larry Stewart in January. During his life, he managed to give away about $1.3 million as the secret Santa.

But his legacy isn’t over. As Stewart lay dying in his hospital bed, a fellow businessman and friend promised Stewart that the mission would be carried on – the businessman vowed to be the next secret Santa. This year, he has crossed the United States going to thrift stores, laundromats, bus stations, and the like handing out $100 bills – maybe one, maybe more – to people in need.

By Christmas, he will have given out $75,000 of his own money. He says he gets a great return – the joy that it creates for him and the people who receive his gift. They know that they’ve received an unconditional gift – based on nothing more than one human being caring for another.

Here’s the secret Santa in action. A couple lost one of their four children to a rare form of cancer in November. They faced incredible medical bills. They warned their remaining kids that Christmas might not come this year.

One day, they heard a knock on their door. Standing there was the secret Santa. He handed them $1,000!

We thought it appropriate today to quote the new secret Santa. 

“Secret Santa lives in each and every one
of us, it’s just a matter of letting him out.”

The good news is that this idea is catching on. More and more people are contacting the new secret Santa. Even interning with him to see how he does it. You can see too in this special report from CBS.

Next time, we’ll discuss the timeless secret for overcoming all the odds … for making your star shine bright.

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!