IBA SUCCESS MAGAZINE Volume 3 Issue 2 | Page 2

WELCOME This edition is particularly special to me because it’s dedicated to the person who motivates and inspires me every day…my mother. As a young girl, I remember how she constantly demonstrated an inner strength that resonated with everyone she met. Her goal was to sustain her small family despite the challenges that life threw her way, but what she’s done is so much greater. She provided a role model for me and set expectations higher than I ever thought achievable. She also provided support; a soft place to land when success was just out of my reach so that I never knew the fear of not trying again. Every little girl deserves a mother like mine and I truly mean that. Ms. Janet, as she is fondly known among my peers, was always one step ahead of me no matter how smart I thought I was. Once, I’d agreed to meet my friends for a party without her permission and even dared to climb out of my bedroom window to meet them. My mother found me at that party, entered those front doors and dragged me home. On the way home to my punishment, she talked about the young woman she was raising in me and I felt terrible for falling short of those expectations. I knew not to disappoint her again. influence on my girls that my mother had with my sister and me. I am grateful that when she sees me tilt out of balance; spending too much time on one thing or the other, she drops subtle clues that bring me back. “Your life is like the pedals of a flower,” she says. “Each pedal needs your sunshine to grow strong and beautiful. If you shower parts of the flower on one side, but ignore the other, the whole flower wilts.” Because of her I’ve learned to spend as much time with my daughter and granddaughter as I do on my business. I structure my days to ensure that no part of my life goes without as much of my personal sunshine as I can give it since I need all of the pedals of my life to grow strong and vibrant. While you may not have a Ms. Janet, I hope the wisdom she’s shared with me somehow comes through in the types of articles you’ll find in this edition of IBA Success Magazine. It is my gift to you. Cherish yourself and your pedals and give each of them the balanced sunshine they need to thrive. As I grew older, I learned to watch her hustle. By the time my older sister and I had reached our teens, we were already following in her footsteps and planning our own paths. And it was then that we recognized something completely new about her. She balanced all of the important components of her life at one time and seemingly with ease. Have you ever seen the circus act where the performer spins plates on a pole, adding more and more plates all spinning at once? That’s what it was like to see her manage a household, ensure that we were properly educated, instill morals and values, demonstrate the qualities of a woman deserving of a relationship all while encouraging us to fulfill our hopes and dreams. To this day I sit in awe of her and ask what she’d do in certain situations. I know now that balancing is not as easy as she made it look, but it isn’t impossible. It is, however critical for a progressive life. As an adult, my mom remains my greatest confidante and primary advisor. Her wisdom is a valued gift that I carry with me every day. Like her, I’m now a mom and a grandmother and I hope that I’m providing the same Jennifer Yon 2 IBASuccessMagazine.com