Today in International Women’s Day and I thought it was appropriate that I honor the woman who has influenced me the most: My mom.

Because what I do for a living is pretty much following in my dad’s footsteps, I often write and speak about the influence he has had in my life. I have learned a lot from and have always had a special relationship with him, but I have been and always will be a mamma’s boy.

Here are five of the many lessons I have learned from my mom:

• Choose to have fun. My mom loves to have fun. She constantly laughs and it spreads to others around her. She loves to play games and often enjoys playing just as much as her grand kids. When I was young we would always make up fun games and often the point of the games was for us to have fun and to aggravate my dad in some way. My mom has a presentation she gives called “Are You Having Fun Yet?” In it she inspires people to lighten up and have some fun. We all could benefit from this advice.
• Serve out of compassion, not duty. My mom has been a social worker most of my life. She lives to serve others. She has so much compassion for those less fortunate. She modeled the way of a servant leader for me. She taught me that serving is not checking off some requirement. It is showing true empathy for others, doing whatever you can to help people in need.
• Older leaders have wisdom to share, we must listen. For much of my life my mom has served senior citizens in her work. Growing up I delivered Meals on Wheels and visited seniors centers often. I learned from this experience that our older leaders must be valued. They have seen and experienced so much and have a lot to offer. I always loved hearing the great stories the seniors would tell. I think we would make less mistakes as leaders if we listened more to our elders.
• Leaders make sacrifices. Often leaders must make sacrifices that are difficult and many times other people won’t understand. My mom has made so many sacrifices in her life for her family and for those she has served. She constantly has put the needs of others before hers. She never talks about the sacrifices she has made and continues to make. She just does what’s necessary. She doesn’t ask for recognition even she deserves so much of it.
• Perogies are awesome! I learned how to make perogies at a young age. My mom learned from her mom. I actually think that I am the only kid that learned in my family. This lesson keeps paying off for me and my wife too! Making perogies with my mom is one of m favorite memories and I love teaching other people how to make them now.

My mom is the leader I most want to recognize on International Women’s Day. I have learned so much from her and she always inspires me. I am so lucky to have two parents who have been such a positive influence in my life and I thankful for them.

As leaders, we must honor those who have come before us. That starts with our parents. I am pretty sure that Honor Your Father and Mother was written in stone somewhere because it is that important. I try to honor my parents through my daily actions, by serving others, and by always making an effort to include them in my life. I have three best friends, my wife and my mom and dad. How lucky am I?

Who are some women you want to honor on this International Women’s Day? What lessons have you learned from your own mother? If your relationship is suffering, what can you do today to improve it? It is never too late.

I want to thank my mom, Rose for giving me life and for helping to shape me into the man I am today. I look forward to many more years of learning from you, playing pinochle or bat ball. I can’t wait for more water fights because the only person who hates water more than me is dad.

I am and always will be a mamma’s boy and that is because of your leadership and willingness to always build me up and never tear me down.