The Best Thing My Mother Ever Taught Me

Last week, we asked our interviewees from this year about the best things their fathers taught them. This week, let’s take a look at the wisdom of the other parent, the mother, and what our interviewees have learned from theirs.

Q: What is the best thing your mother ever taught you?

Juliana, who made it through 4 years of topical steroid withdrawal:
Take it as they come! There’s no use running away from problems. That woman has some wisdom!

Elizabeth Seah, who has been cosplaying for 24 years:
Too many to list! 

Marianah Arshad, who stuck by the same boss for 12 years:
To not only pray for what I want, but what’s best for me.

Dr. Y, who did poorly all through school but ended up as a dentist with his own practice:
Serve people unconditionally.

Russell Pensyl, who is an interactive media artist:
Get out of bed early and get to work. Never allow oneself to let one’s emotions get the better of oneself.

Rishi Israni, who married and built a million-dollar business with the inventor of the Rotimatic:
Work really hard, but don’t ever care about the results. Because that’s not in your hands.

Kelvin Seah, who is a stay-at-home dad:
To forgive and reconcile broken relationships as much as possible

Jeshua Soh, who dropped out of school, started a business at age 19 and started another business in Myanmar:
Things may not always be as they appear to be.

Sheeba Majmudar, who has been a nutritionist for 12 years:
That you don’t need to have paper titles to genuinely help people, just heart.

HT, who made and sells Spiderman web shooters:
How to be kind, patient and lend a listening ear.

Yen-Lu Chow, who lost his son to suicide:
She gave me the backbone that I have, and the education that has benefited me to this date.

Petrina Ng, who quit her 14-year teaching career to become a wedding photographer:
She taught me tenacity through her own actions and how working smart and hard pays off.

Nur Syahidah Alim, who is a paralympian and world champion in archery:
My mother taught me to fight back and prove to people that I can live independently as abled persons do.

Gwern Khoo, who is a Michelin Bib Gourmand certified hawker:
Her constant reminder: “Do not lie, steal or cheat.”

Evelyn Eng-Lim, who built her own retirement farm:
She accepts us for what we are and is non-judgemental.

Sy, who founded LUCK-IT and interviewed all the above people:
Through watching her, I learned that what you do says way more than what you say, always.

Pranoti Nagarkar, who invented the Rotimatic:
The concept of God. It’s not the concept of God that most religions teach. She was the one who made us think—who do you really think God is? She made us contemplate the concept of God—that it could be in nature, a Creator, doesn’t have to be a certain figure head—and that inherently taught us to question everything.

What’s the best thing YOUR mother ever taught you? Let us know in the comment box below and we’ll add your answer to this list!

Photographs courtesy and copyright of those featured. Interviewer: Sy
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