In honour of it being Mothers Day in Australia today, I thought I’d share some of the words of wisdom and life lessons passed to me by my own mother. Although she passed away 7 years ago now and I miss her terribly, she remains one of the single biggest influences on me, my style and my shopping habits. Along with teaching me to cook spectacular recipes from a young age, educating me on classical music as well as 60s-70s rock, and immersing me in all manner of cultural enrichment growing up, many of her philosophies – which I absorbed by osmosis – seem to become even more wise the older I get.
And because I think motherly wisdom should be shared amongst women the world over, here are a few of my favourite stylish lessons from my own mama:
1. Act as you wish to be treated. The energy and behaviours you put out will be returned to you many times over. Practice random acts of kindness and generosity often.
2. Travel the world as much as you can. There is nothing more educational and enriching than seeing the world and experiencing for yourself the wonderfully diverse cultures of the world (and realising there is no ‘right’ way to live).
3. Enrich yourself by appreciating the classic arts (music, art, culture), reading voraciously, and learning new skills.
4. Make your own opportunities, create your own luck, and look after your own fortunes. Never wait for someone else to hand you what it is you’re looking for.
5. If you’re in a slump, do something to shift your mood: put on your favourite music, and fill the house with fresh flowers and the smell of something delicious in the oven.
6. Treat life as one big adventurous treasure hunt. Look for beauty and inspiration in unexpected places, and collect things along the way that make you smile.
7. Live slowly, appreciate the handmade and the small pleasures in life: the smell of a rose in full bloom in the garden, the first bite of a peach plucked from the tree and still warm from the sun, the sound of an orchestra tuning at the theatre, a luxurious soap, a perfectly pressed linen handkerchief.
8. Invest in beautiful perfume. When you first meet someone, the scent they wear will tell you a lot about them. An impeccable outfit is instantly ruined if you smell cheap.
9. Similarly, treat yourself to gorgeous lingerie. Your clothes will look better, and no matter what you’re wearing or where you’re going, you will know it’s there – your own secret luxury, if you will.
10. Buy little, but buy the best quality you can afford. This way you will spend less, things will last longer, you will find joy in your possessions, and the things you own will never look cheap.
What lessons did you learn from your mother?
Love, Miss B xx
Lovely sentiment Miss B. Totally agree with all you say.
Your mum seems like a very wise, wonderful person. xx
Your mum sounds like an amazing and very wise woman. My mum has taught me that money doesn’t particularly matter, not to get stressed about it and just be happy, because money can’t by happiness. Thank you for this great post, made me smile on a dreary Sunday morning xxx
Amazing advice – agree with every single one x
What a beautiful post – thank you for sharing your mum’s wonderful words of wisdom – I love these.
This is lovely…elegant, thoughtful, inspiring.
This year (sigh) she is now in a nursing home, at 76, with early dementia. It has been a rough year.
Her greatest lesson? Enjoy the hell out of your life while you have it!
Here’s last year’s blog post about my Mom, who sounds a little like yours…she was a world traveler, beautiful, stylish, a lot of fun.
http://broadsideblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/happy-mothers-day-fourteen-things-my-mom-taught-me/
I am sorry to hear you lost your mother so early in life.
She seems to have been a very wise women and instilled in you some great ideas: it is very lovely how appreciative of her you are.
kisses
M
What a lovely post, thank you for sharing
Lessons from my mum include: always make an effort with your appearance because you never know who you’re going to bump into or meet… and ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’ (which was the inspiration for the name of my blog). Oh and ‘mums know best’, which is v true.
~el
Very wise words!
One of my favorite of my mom’s advices – always match your bag to your shoes. :))
beautiful words, what a lucky daughter x
Lovely post and your mum’s words of wisdom are so true and beautiful, thanks for sharing.
Abigail x
A beautiful post. Your mother sounds like an amazing and very wise woman. Thank you for sharing!
Ahhhh Miss B. LOVE this, I am actually having quite a rotten day and couldn’t even make it into uni, this has cheered me up immensely! X
These are gorgeous! Beautiful lessons, so important. Love these kinds of post. Amazing. Your mom must be so inspiring! Thanks for sharing! XO Raspberry & Rouge
http://raspberry-rouge.com
What a touching post Briony! I’m sorry for your loss :-/ I’m sure your mother would be proud to see that you still listen to her advice and fully embrace her wonderful life lessons.
She also taught me to appreciate beauty and refinement in all its forms, that life is better when you are generous and kind and to be self-demanding.
My mother taught me to never compromise on quality: when I was 14 and wanted to buy my first makeup at the supermarket like my girlfriends, she insisted that she get Chanel for me instead – a very lucky girl I am
Anne, thank you so much. And your mother is absolutely right about all of the above (she sounds like a wise and generous lady).
B xx
Ah, such a lovely tribute to your mama – lesson learnt from my mama – inner style is more important than being ‘Fashionable. xx
Thank you so much! And I couldn’t agree more – pretty clothes are meaningless if the person wearing them is lacking in style and loveliness.
B xx
Really beautiful post. I especially love numbers 2, 7 and 9. My mother taught me very similar lessons.
The most inspiring post I have ever read, it brought a tear to my eye and a smile to mouth at the same time – your blog always lifts us just when we need it.
The best lesson learned in life was from a grand Uncle of mine, Uncle Tony, who is also no longer with us. He would always chime ‘Life is not a Dress Rehearsal’ – and how true he is
x x x
Oh Charlotte, what a lovely thing to say, thank you so much. And I love your Uncle’s lesson – how true this is!
B xx
Thank you!
I’m currently signed off work with Depression. Reading the above post has given me a new perspective on things and shined a little ray of hope into my life, which of late has been full of despair. Your advice has given me something to think about, for sure.
Thank you for writing such a wondeful blog!
B, this is so lovely, and the fact that you had these precious sentiments is such an amazing gift. You have become such a beautiful, well rounded lady, with the most loving and giving nature. Your mother would be so proud of you xxxx love you T