"My mother didn't like me." Born ten months after her older brother died, Stephanie Smith grew up feeling like "the replacement baby." Only she wasn't a boy and her talkative, creative, and effervescent personality broke the mold of her mother's expectations and preferences. From passive-aggressive attempts to "marry her off" to refusing to sign the papers that would allow her to attend the dream college she was accepted to - Notre Dame - much of Stephanie's adult life focused on winning her mother's elusive approval. A prominent government analyst and municipal clerk, the list of her accomplishments could fill volumes. Still, her mother remained cold and disapproving. It wasn't until well into adulthood that, while attending a professional retreat, a leader delivered an "Aha!" moment. "Stop making yourself unhappy trying to make your mother happy." That realization dislodged her from a lifelong cycle of futility. From that point on she says, "I began leaning into who I really was." Stephanie shares three solutions to life's challenges: "You can accept what is, change it, or leave it. If you don't choose one of those, that's the definition of a martyr." Stephanie chose to accept her "mother wound" and now even considers it to be the very tool that made her who she is today. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, she can be contacted at StephanieDee@ThePinkBriefcase.com. Her book, Values-Based Goal Setting: How to Dream Big and Live the Life You Were Meant To Live can be purchased on Amazon: https://a.co/d/aGQNYs9