4 Happy Habits I Learned from My Mom 😊

Happy Mother’s Day!

“Girl, where did you get that ❌body ✅ habit from?”

“I got it from my mama!”

Throughout the past month or so we’ve been delving into building happy, healthy, and sustainable habits. As we’ve learned, there are many ways we can support ourselves and our success such as by understanding the habit loop, priming our environment, and using the power of rewards.

With the time and effort that habit modification requires, it makes you really appreciate the positive habits that got ingrained when you were younger and that just seem like second nature now! Of course, if we look to the parents, relatives, teachers and friends in our lives we have a big clue as to where we first learned those habits.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I’m reflecting on some of the happy habits I was gifted from my mom.💕

1. Help from the heart & fill the heart daily.

My mom’s entire career working as a speech pathologist for children with special needs emphasized the value of working to improve the world and the lives of others around her. Because of her, I’ve learned that looking for opportunities to help others out everyday builds connections between people and enriches your own life as well.

2. Quiet time recharges.

With a full time job and three kids, I’m not sure how my mom did everything all those years when we were young! But I do know she took small, quiet moments as opportunities to recharge such as reading a book, praying the rosary, or doing a puzzle. Especially in recent years, I find myself seeking out quiet moments alone to reset and sit in a feeling of peace and calm as I’ve seen her do.

3. Express emotion.

Shocker- I like to talk about how I feel. 😉 My mom has always been so generous with expressing her feelings and most especially, her love. Whether it was a note tucked inside my school backpack or a call across the ocean these days to just check in, my mom always takes the opportunity to say “I love you.” Telling people you care, tearing up at the sad part of the movie, or crying when we say goodbye at the end of each trip is never seen as a weakness but as a beautiful expression of emotion because of her.

4. Simple is special.

So many of my favorite childhood memories weren’t huge spectacular events, but rather simple occurrences that felt special because of my mom’s effort. Heart shaped pancakes for Valentine’s Day morning, cutting lilacs from the garden for the kitchen table, or learning to make a favorite family recipe by her side to name just a few, I’ve found that looking for ways to infuse extra care into simple everyday activities is a habit I learned from my mom.

What are some of the happy and healthy habits you picked up from your mothers, grandmothers, or other women in your life? Today’s an excellent time to reach out and show them some gratitude for habits they helped to instill in you.

It’s also a good time to remember that you serve as a role model for the people in your life. Whether you are a parent or not, we can positively impact the lives and habits of our loved ones when we lead by example. For instance, because of my work as a dance fitness instructor over the past decade, my mom now regularly exercises several days a week when she takes my Prerecorded On-Demand Zumba classes ( and is my most loyal student! 😉😁🥰 )

To all the mothers, mother-like figures, the grandmothers, the aunts, the godmothers, those with mothers no longer on earth, those who are childless but wish they could be mothers and more — we appreciate all you do! Happy Mother’s Day to you!

Keep moving,

xx,

Katie

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