Hello! How was your weekend? After the 10k yesterday I spent the day with my mom eating and chatting and all that fun stuff. My mom is the perfect balance of authority, wisdom, support and love. She’s a good listener but doesn’t just let me get away with making poor choices in life. She calls me out on my shit, but isn’t always nitpicking at me. I know I’m very lucky to have a good mom. Everyone should have one! Go get one at the mom store today!!
(this is a picture from my brother’s move from last week)
We hit up my favorite restaurant, Sizzler. I’m obviously not fancy, but I love it!
Menudo because I’m Mexican. Epic Salad because I’m Monican. (Desserts not pictures because we were busy talking.)
And then played with the puppies a bit. They are growing so fast it’s ridiculous!!!
Anyway. Let’s talk about women who have changed my life…
Since I’m on the subject of awesome women I want to acknowledge some amazing people in my life. I have wanted to write this post for a while. When one of these people pops in my head (usually while running or something) I think “I should write a post about this! There needs to be more positive examples like this shared in the world!”.
I have been very blessed to not just have a great mom, but I have crossed paths with a lot of very strong, smart, wise, positive, generous women in my life. I have worked with and worked for great females. I have met some at blogging conferences or through friends. Successful women entrepreneurs like Cortney Fletcher are amazing examples to me and I’m sure they don’t even realize how much I took from our interactions.
So, I wanted to give a small shout out to some of the them…and more importantly just remind myself and you that being a positive role model or cheerleader for others is free. And it can really have a lasting effect on someone.
When I was in college I interned for Lynette Romero, a reporter and anchor at KTLA. She was so generous with her knowledge and support. She got me my first post-internship job! She paid for me to get my (tragic) eyebrows done at a fancy place. She answered all my questions about the industry (and my questions about life).
Leah Segedie from Mamavation (and ShiftCon)…as soon as I met her she was warm and friendly. The next time I saw her at a conference she introduced me to one of her colleagues and really talked me up. And then she did it another time and I overheard her talking positively about someone else.That’s how she is – she is a huge champion for other women in the blog business. Every single time I’m at an event with her she says something really positive about me and when she introduces others to me she lets them shine.
Build other people up! A candle loses no brightness lighting another candle.
Sarah Dussault from Sarah Fit has always been so open with her knowledge. She is a real ‘no BS’ kind of person and calls it like it is. She is super successful but confident enough in her success to be very willing to help me (and others) grow.
In ‘all my peeps are names Sarah news’ Skinny Runner is legitimately the most kind and supportive person ever. She is better than me on every level, but never makes me feel like that. She’s a better runner, person, friend, dresser… and she was a better blogger too. I think she just retired so she’s stop making me look bad.
There are many more, but I just wanted to pass on the idea that these ladies because awesome and loving to me. It makes me want to be better and pass it on too. If you can’t find a good person, be a good person. Don’t compete with the people around you. Be supportive. Build up others. Be an example.
so true; women are the best! great post. you are awesome, and so is SR…miss her blog so much.
<3 this! I still remember Sarah Dussault's session at FitBloggin' where she said bloggers should be a community and support one another rather than being competitive or envious because there's room for everyone at the top. Such good advice!
love this post! gotta share the love when there are some many amazing people in our lives that deserve a positive shout out 🙂
I love “if you can’t find a good person, be a good person.” Likely people will find good people…especially if they are being a good person. Glad you have been able to be so lucky with your good people!!
i love your little mantra at the end there. so simple, yet so true.
I, too, have had the great fortune of having a wonderful mother. She is the most selfless person I have ever met, and genuinely can’t stomach saying a single mean thing about anyone. I can only hope to live up to that standard one day. I’m still working on it, but luckily I have a least some of her genes 🙂
My sister in law and my brother are my biggest fans and supporters. I am really blessed.
First: this is well said: ” If you can’t find a good person, be a good person. Don’t compete with the people around you. Be supportive. Build up others. Be an example.”
Second, women with a big impact:
-my mom for being a huge supporter and unbelievably patient. Also my best friend
-my good friend Allyson, for being my partner in crime and helping me get through life even when life doesn’t want getting through and helping me at every turn. She’s gonna be a super power one day I know it
-my boss, who is at the top of our field, a super woman in every way, yet still an incredibly relatable and down to earth person. I hope I can be half as awesome as her some day.
There are so many people who have championed me. My friend Katherine is an amazing woman – she’s a nurse director who is going back to school to get her master’s degree at age 48!! She is an awesome friend and confidant, who stood by my side over the past two years while I was working on my 2nd master’s degree. My friend Erica is my person. She tells me what’s up and what’s not, she knocks me on my butt when I need it and picks me up when I can’t do it alone. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.
This is an awesome post, Monica!
This is so lovely! I have a friend who is all about building people up and she’s always inspiring me to be a better person! She very rarely talks badly about someone, and is always offering to help out. She even let me stay with her when I was kicked out of my old flat, and I started to see (just from living with her) that being there for other people must be draining for her- now I’m more aware of that and make a huge effort to be equally there for her too.
Random rant, sorry!
I also keep thinking (whilst running too) about doing a post on women that inspire me, a ‘celeb’ version (ie. Paula Radcliffe and Jessica Ennis) and a ‘normal person’ version- but there’s just too many fantastic women to choose from!
Absolutely my mum – did so much for me over the years and when I moved to a different country five years ago, despite the horror of it, she not once tried to stop me instead encouraged me all the way.
Love this post and the pro-woman positivity 🙂