As part of our Lessons from Mom series…
here is an excerpt from a Business Class interview with United States Congressman David Price, during which I asked, “What lessons did you learn from your mother that have helped you in your business or career?”
He said:
“My mother was ambitious for us, but in ways that didn’t create a lot of anxiety or pressure and I’ve always been grateful for that. She always made it clear that she wanted me to do my best, but if my best was a B instead of an A, then the test was whether or not I did my best.
“She also had no career goals that were highly specific, unlike some of my friends whose mothers and fathers were quite sure they were destined to be lawyers or doctors or whatever. My mother & dad never put that kind of pressure on us and I’ve always been glad for that. We were told that doing well was your own reward.
“I had lots of friends that would get a quarter for every A they made and my mother said she would never do that, she would never pay me to make good grades. We might have a nice oyster supper but that’s as far as it was going to go.
“So looking back on all that, I think I had a lot of encouragement, a lot of support. There were some high expectations, but not the kind of anxiety creating pressure or making her children in her own image that I think some parents make the mistake of doing.”
Mrs. Price was a high school English teacher – a tough teacher. Congressman Price said that some of his earliest memories were of walking through town with her and people stopping them to thank her for all she had done for them – sometimes to thank her for being tough.
Click on button below to hear excerpt from interview (2 minutes, 20 seconds)
[audio:http://www.businessclassinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Mothers-Day-Congressman-David-Price.mp3|titles=Mothers Day – Congressman David Price].
Wonderful lessons passed from Mrs. Price, to her son, Congressman David Price and now to us…valuable lessons for parenting, for teaching, for business and for life.
What about you? What lessons did you learn from your Mom that have helped you in your business or career?
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