Making Your Parents Proud

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does the desire to make your parents proud ever go away? i don’t mean the weird type of ‘fake-proud’ where they want you to be a doctor so you sacrifice your dreams to meet their expectations. i mean the type of proud where you are living your true self and achieving your own dreams and they are proud of you for that. this was heightened for me this weekend!

my husband and i were invited to be the keynote speakers at the district 26 conference in denver, colorado! we talked about the map to dreaming BIG and when you set your mindset to accomplish big things, your world will change.

ryan and chelsea speaking

while my parents attend our webinars, this was the first time they have seen me speak on stage and with my husband! of course i wanted to do a great job for the people in attendance of the conference but even deeper than that, i wanted to make my parents proud.

the feeling took me back to elementary school. i borrowed my mom’s leather jacket to perform with my assigned group the rap version of the holiday single ‘up on the rooftop’ during a holiday assembly. as my parents sat in that audience, i wanted nothing more than to make them proud and to not horribly embarrass myself. this weekend, i borrowed her colorful scarf instead of her leather jacket.

chelsea and mom

last weekend when i presented about about the power of partnerships, i felt very proud of myself and this weekend i wanted to make them proud. i think i did because my dad was in the front row smiling the whole time and my mom was tearing up (we are criers in this family) with my stepdad smiling too. i also got verbal confirmation so that always helps 🙂

we celebrated with beignets and boozy drinks, which was way better than the elementary school celebration of stale cookies (though i would still eat those if offered).

how we celebrate

i sort of figured you’d grow up and get to a point where that feeling of making your parents proud would dissipate but i’m finding out it’s still there and i don’t mind it. of course this has to do with having positive parents who support me in my endeavors, even if it’s different than what they helped pay for me to get educated in. do other people still feel this way even though you are technically an adult?

we leave for argentina on thursday and then antarctica a few days after that. these next days are going to be spent running around and making sure we have everything, before the blizzard sets in for this afternoon in denver!

it’s a good thing i found the best socks ever for my husband to help inspire us (if you are offended by language…look away!)

carpe

happy monday friends and seize the day!

13 Comments

  1. Charlene

    November 16, 2015 at 9:39 am

    Oh how wonderful that they got to see you on stage! Yeah I don’t think the desire to make our parents proud will ever go away. And I think it’s a wonderful and motivating desire to have.
    Charlene recently posted…12 Game-Changing Resources for Bloggers

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:47 am

      i think you are right about it being a motivating and good desire to have, charlene 🙂

  2. Audrey

    November 16, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Those socks are awesome 🙂 I always feel so good when my parents compliment me. I think that their praise and Kyle’s praise can make me happy for days and days. When I speak in public they always compliment me (mainly because neither one of them enjoys it and they wonder where I got the ability, lol).
    Audrey recently posted…Thank God It’s Monday

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:48 am

      i can’t get enough of them, audrey! i totally should have got a matching pair. love that your parents especially love when you speak in public and praise you for it – that’s so great! it’s true that praise can last quite a while too 🙂

  3. Kate

    November 16, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Those socks are awesome! I definitely want my parents to be proud, and I know that they are when I call to tell them any new accomplishments I’ve made. I think it definitely comes from already having a positive relationship with your parents.
    Kate recently posted…Just Keep Swimming

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:49 am

      agreed kate and i love that you have that relationship with your parents too!

  4. Elyse

    November 16, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    That’s awesome they got to see you on stage!

    I definitely want my parents to be proud and I know they want me to be proud of my accomplishments and I’m sure that never goes away.
    Elyse recently posted…What I’m Reading This Winter

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:49 am

      it was pretty great, even if the stage was awkwardly high ha! i think you’re right that the feeling of wanting to make our parents proud doesn’t go away!

  5. chelsea jacobs

    November 17, 2015 at 7:54 am

    This is so precious. And those socks are everything.
    chelsea jacobs recently posted…Pumpkin Spice Lattes & Other Great Loves of My Life.

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:50 am

      riiiiiight! i wish i got a pair of those sweet socks for me too! what was i thinking?!

  6. Holly

    November 17, 2015 at 10:24 am

    So true!!! My parents have never seen me speak either. Im not sure they would get it if they did. And yes, every time I want to make them proud. I’m not sure they know what to say. So, I keep being me.
    Holly recently posted…“Welcome home from Mecca”: Three small, powerful ways we can honor differences in the workplace.

    • chelsea

      November 18, 2015 at 8:51 am

      glad you keep being you holly and hopefully sometime they do get to see you speak! i think it was an eye-opener for my parents to better understand what we do. it was pretty great! thanks for commenting 🙂

  7. Amanda

    December 27, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    Those socks are fantastic.