Even if you’re not conscious of it, the words of encouragement and support you hear throughout your formative years have a significant impact on us and shape who we are later on in life. Of course, we all have the ability to empower ourselves and only heed the words of advice that fit with our identity and purpose in life (because it doesn’t always align) but there are significant moments that we carry with us and draw strength from during times of need.

In honor of these personal mantras, we partnered with Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer to pay homage to one of the biggest motivators in our lives—our moms. They have stood by us, inspired us, fought for us, and loved us at every step along the way so these little cans of sugarless cocktails (they’re under 90 calories) with delicious flavors ranging from Berry Lemonade to Cranberry Lime are the perfect way to celebrate. So here’s to you mom—cheers!

So, read on to hear some of the best career advice our C&C team received from their moms. Be sure to scroll through to the end for two cocktails you can make to cheers your mom today.

Caitlin Shier, Vice President, Brand Partnerships & Accounts

“My mom was a professional dancer and actress, often dancing over 12 hours a day, so she helped instill my strong work ethic and determination to always work hard for what you want. She also always taught us to treat everyone with respect, compassion, and empathy. I carry that with me both in my every day and in my career. In keeping in mind where my colleagues and clients are coming from, I think I’m better able to work collaboratively internally as well as come to the best external negotiations and partnerships. It’s important to remember, too, that at the end of the day, we’re all only human.”

Dana Saperstein, Senior Event Producer 

“My mom has always had a lot to say about me and my sibling's careers. Here are a few:

1. Stay at a job at least one year before moving. I can't say I 100% agree because I've always been in the mentality of if you don't enjoy your work, get out, but what I do like about this advice is that one year is a really good amount of time to gauge the work you're doing, the company culture, and determine if there really is future growth for you. The shortest job I've ever had was a month shy of a year. On paper, I thought I would really enjoy it but quickly realized that I wouldn't be there forever. I kept setting assessment deadlines (three months, six months, nine months, etc.) for myself. I would use this check in to gauge my happiness, what projects I've worked on, what I've learned, and see if there are future projects that might be work staying for.

2. Don't ever quit a job until you have another job. As mentioned above, I'm in the mentality of if you don't enjoy your work, get out but if you're in a position that you can stick it out for a little longer, I think its the wise thing to do before jumping. You might be pleasantly surprised that you might have a few options.”

Heather Records, Vice President, Marketing

“My mom taught me everything about who I am in my career. She’s still the person I call when I need work advice or need her to read over an important email or negotiation. I feel like the biggest thing I learned from her was how to keep calm (and caring) under pressure. I might not have learned it as a mantra, but now that I’m older I can tell how much pressure she was constantly under whether at work or at home and how you could never tell by the way she treated you or any person that crossed her path. When I feel things piling up, I can still have a warm conversation with people around me and I think I inherited that from seeing her do it every day.” 

Adry Perez, Social Media Manager

“My mom always told me to stand tall and walk into a room with confidence. I’m in the room because I’ve earned it and I feel like I use that advice when I start a new job or walk into a meeting or even an event.”

Nairi Najarian, Senior Director of Marketing

“The best career advice I’ve ever received from my mom is to not let intimidation beat determination. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working on large-scale marketing campaigns and productions for different brands but when I was starting out in my early 20s, the first few times I was assigned that "big project”, I wanted to run for the hills. My mom’s advice was so helpful, because it helped me realize that those “project scaries" are normal but fleeting, while hard work and tenacity stick with you for much longer.”

Jaclyn Johnson, CEO

“‘Fall in love with the numbers’—My mom is an accountant and while I was always the creative these are wise words for any business person.”

Neha Kumar, COO

“My mom told me when I was younger ‘you have to hold to your commitments. If you don’t honor your word, what else do you have.’ I have used this for my entire career. I follow through with my commitments no matter what others are doing. Sometimes, I would find myself to be the hardest working person in the group. At times, I might take a second and think why am I even doing this? Why am I working so hard? Then I remember my mom’s words and I know that I’m honoring my word, my commitment and that I’m not doing this for anyone else but myself. That simple principle has helped me reach high heights in my life without even directly realizing it. I do right by my job and the people in my life not because I have to but because I want to.” 

Sacha Strebe, Editorial Director

“My mom has always been my number one cheerleader, championing me from the sidelines, even when I had career aspirations to take over from Anna Wintour as EIC of Vogue—yes, mom truly believes I am capable of anything. I have always felt her supportive presence and heed her reassuring words of advice but there was one moment that really stayed with me. I was about to relocate to the U.S. from Australia and my mom looked at me from the kitchen and said, “I hope you get what you wished for.” I felt equally saddened and motivated by those words. If I was going to sacrifice being near my Australian family to chase my dreams then I wanted to make sure I worked really hard and made her proud of me. I love you mom.”

Follow our simple Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer cocktail recipes below and raise a glass in celebration of all the moms in our lives:

Cranberry Lime With a Minty Twist

Ingredients:

1/2 can Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer cranberry lime flavor
1/2 lime, cut into quarters
Fresh mint
Ice

Directions:

1. Pour half the can of Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer into a cocktail shaker with the fresh mint. Squeeze in a quarter of a lime. Muddle together until mint flavor is infused.

2. Pour over ice in a glass tumblr. Add additional Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer as needed.

Spicy Piña Colada

Ingredients:

1/2 can of Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer piña colada
1/2 cup coconut milk (from a carton)
1/2 pineapple juice
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
1 japaleno, seeds removed
Ice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake to chill and combine.
3. Strain into a glass over crushed ice and serve.

What was the best career advice your mom gave you? Share them with us below?

This post was sponsored by Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer.