Today, it’s my mama’s birthday. So I thought I’d share a post I wrote a while back on some things she’d said to me that have inspired the hell out of me. But first, I want to give you a little background on how damn special she is.

My mum dedicates her life to kids. She runs a preschool, and she works non-stop on it. She LOVES her work. She puts everything into the kids she cares for, she loves them and they love her.

My mum’s mum died when she was six. Her dad was quite frankly, not a nice person. He was verbally and mentally pretty abusive. He told my mum she was stupid. She was given two choices; be a nurse, or become a hairdresser. But her dream was to work with children

Because of this, my mum thinks less of herself. Even though she was an outstanding childminder. Even though she went back to uni and got her Early Years Education degree. Even though she singlehandedly runs a small business.

Growing up, my mum taught me and my siblings two fundamental truths. One, that we could do anything we wanted to, and two, that our dreams were worth holding onto. Her belief in me constantly gives me courage.

My mum had a awful childhood, and she has spent most of her adult life enriching the childhood of SO many children. Personally, I think that’s pretty courageous. Anyhow, here’s how she inspires me:

My mum, obviously, is the best. She is constantly picking me up from places, feeding me, giving me advice and helping me on my way. My mum is my inspiration for many reasons, but I think one of the most profound reasons why is the way she raised me: with love and respect and positivity.

Here are thirty inspirational things she said to me (and still says) that inspire me each and every day to become the person that I want to be.
1. “You can be anything you want to be.”

2. “You are weird, and weird is wonderful.”

3. “Sleep on it, and you’ll know what to do in the morning. Sleep always provides an answer.”

4. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’”

5. “You can do football! It’s not a boys sport!”

6. “You can go fishing! It’s not a boys thing!”

7. “You and your brother can both do ballet, it’s not a girls thing!”

8. “Play with what you want – if you want to play with trucks then play with trucks.”

9. “Sure you can dress yourself. I love that backwards cap with the ‘TWO FOR ONE’ sticker on it.”

10. “WOW, you’ve worked so hard on your artwork – well done you!’

11. “WOW, you’ve worked so hard at your writing – well done you!’

12.“WOW, you’ve worked so hard at school – well done you!’

13. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

14. “Okay, you want to act. We’ll get you involved in the local ammeter dramatics group.”

15. “Okay, you want to sing. We’ll get you a kick ass singing teacher.”

16. “So football’s not your thing anymore, that’s cool.”

17. “If we’re going to get a dog, you need to look after it, do you understand?”

18. “LAURA WALK THE DOG OR YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR TV!!!”

19. “You can only do your best, and if you’ve done your best we’ll be proud of you.”

20. “You need to knuckle down, work hard and never give up.”

21. “Cut yourself some slack – look after yourself, have a night off.”

22. “Of course I’ll be at your ballet performance.”

23. “Of course I’ll be at your drama show.”

24. “Of course I’ll pick you up after your exam.”

25. “You can do this.”

26. “I believe in you.”

27. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

28. “There’s no such word as ‘can’t’.”

29. “Great job.”

30. “I love you.”

These words and phrases that I remember from my childhood are a constant stream of love, encouragement and positivity. Without this, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wouldn’t be pursuing my dreams or living my life happily. My mum has given me so much over my life, but it is her attitude and resilience in tough times that inspires me onwards and upwards.

This article was first published here.