Mother’s Day is just around the corner. I hope that everyone who reads this article will reach out to their mother this year. When I was a kid, my mom did everything around the house. These days, most of us men get shamed into at least a little bit of housework, but that wasn’t so 30 years ago. So, if possible, do something nice for your mom this year. For full disclosure, I should mention that I haven’t picked out a Mother’s Day present for my mom since I got married (sorry Mom).

My mother, when I was a kid, was a school teacher, but she still managed to have enough energy to cook a hot meal every night. Now that I’m older I have no idea why she did this. When I tell my kids that it’s dinner time, they head for the car. In those days it was different, almost expected, kind of like part of the job. Come to think of it, my dad had it made. He didn’t do anything around the house. I mean, he’s an awesome guy, was a great father, but he didn’t even know where we kept the vacuum, much less ever used it. We would hide his Christmas presents in the closet with all the cleaning supplies because there was no chance of him looking in there.

As she got older, it seems like my mom got braver. She graduated law school and passed the bar exam in her 50s. We went to Hawaii a couple of years ago, and she was body surfing in the ocean. Last summer at an age I won’t mention, we went to the local amusement park and she rode every ride in the park, and wasn’t scared a bit. She told me later than when she realized she couldn’t get hurt, her fear went away. She even rode the roller coasters that go upside down! She rode a ride or two with my 11-year-old daughter that I was too scared to get on. The interesting thing is that she had a blast, and I’m certain it was the best amusement park visit she ever had.

We can all learn a lesson from my mom. The business world is very similar to a roller coaster. We pay our dues, wait in line forever, and when we finally get our turn, we go through twists and turns, ups and downs, and if we’re lucky, we don’t puke at the end. Every person you meet in the business community is somewhere on that ride. The successful ones are at the top of the hill or charging down it. The less successful ones are holding on for dear life around a hairpin turn. The least successful are the ones who refuse to ride.

Life and work is all about taking chances and enjoying the ride. We have no idea what’s around the next turn or at the bottom of the hill, and we have no idea when the ride is going to end. The only way to live life with no regrets is to get on the ride, fasten our seat belt and see what happens. Life can be scary. Work these days is definitely scary, but the ride isn’t over quite yet. The sun keeps coming up every morning, and someday, if you persevere, you will find yourself safe and sound back at the station.

These days more and more companies are pulling back, retreating. I have some salespeople that aren’t making any money but are too depressed to go after new customers (and there are new customers out there).  Now is the time to get on the ride. While other managers and salespeople sit around and talk about how bad everything is, you can take away their customers before they even realize it. The companies and people that are aggressive today will be the market leaders when the economy turns around. Those that sit around and watch will be left behind. Yeah, sure, it’s going to be a bumpy ride that will definitely throw you for a loop or two, but that will all be worth it when you finally reach the station.