Watch What’s Going on Around You

As promised, over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing the lessons my Mom taught me and how I’ve applied them to my life and business.

Growing up, Mom had several mantras. Phrases that she drilled into my head over and over again until it just sounded like white noise. What I didn’t realize is that her words were seeping into the fabric of my life and would serve to be the foundation of my adulthood.

Every time I walked out the door or out of her sight, she would say, “Watch what’s going on around you.” This was the loudest mantra I heard growing up.

As a child, I understood that Mom wanted me to be constantly aware of my surroundings. Whether I realized it or not, her words echoed in my brain as I navigated the world.

In high school, I embarked on a school trip to New York City. Mom envisioned a highly chaperoned tour of the Big Apple. Instead, thanks to minimal supervision from the school sponsor—who saw the trip as her personal vacation—I, along with two buddies, found ourselves abandoned at the Statue of Liberty on Day one. To be fair, I may have insisted on scaling Lady Liberty, despite protests from our teacher about time constraints so I wasn’t completely innocent. I am my mother’s daughter after all. 

But as we navigated the subway, Chinatown, and Central Park alone—three young teenagers armed with curiosity and no adult supervision, Mom’s words echoed in my mind. Watch what’s going on around you. 

We survived unscathed, though I can't say the same for our poor teacher once Mom stormed into the principal's office to share her concerns about her only child being left to her own devices in the city that never sleeps. I'm pretty sure that marked the end of school trips to the Big Apple. While Mom was often all smiles, you definitely didn’t want to be on her bad side because she was not afraid to speak her mind and let you know exactly what she thought.

While Mom’s words aided in keeping me safe on that trip and throughout my life, I’ve realized they’ve had an even bigger impact. Her words, watch what’s going on around you, propelled me in my career. I realized that I don’t just apply her words for safety. She drilled these words into my head for so long, I didn’t have a choice but to apply them in all areas of my life. So at work, I notice a lot. 

I see nuances that some people might miss. Throughout my career, I’ve interviewed a ton of people and Mom’s words help me to get to know people quickly and understand where they might be able to best contribute. I can confidently say that Mom’s words, watch what’s going on around you, has been the foundation of my professional success as well as keeping me safe all these years.