Today, we examine Mother to Son by Langston Hughes and its 3 Lessons for Entrepreneurs. Poetry is a great way to learn lessons more relaxed than traditional learning methods.

 Let’s start by checking out the poem.

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes      

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin‘ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So, boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps.

‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still 1goin‘, honey,

I’se still climbin‘,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

As stated above, this great poem has 3 lessons for entrepreneurs. These lessons are:  

1. Sometimes life is hard. 
2. There is always someone who sees you as a role model.
3.  You can keep moving forward even if life is hard.

Sometimes, life is hard, which is just one of the lessons for entrepreneurs in this poem.

 In the poem, the mother tells her son that life is not always smooth. She makes it clear that life is hard sometimes. As I read the words, I see an old staircase, with tacks, nails, and splintered wood. Sometimes, I even need to massage my feet as I think about getting a horrible splinter I must dig out. This poem and the mother’s words are full of lessons for entrepreneurs.

I remember how scary it was to walk up the stairs in strange places with no good light. I remember being tired from the day’s weight and wanting to sit down in the middle of a flight of stairs, but unable to sit down. I have lived this actual life. It feels as if I have walked these stairs, and I know that life is hard sometimes.

Whether you think about the mother’s words as a metaphor for life or an accurate description, you will agree that she describes life as a hard road. Not only is the staircase the mother is describing far from a smooth ride, but she also has to walk up it. She has to walk down it. She cannot skip the staircase because it is hard to walk up. No matter how much she might want to, she cannot avoid those steps. She has to take them. So, she puts on her big girl panties and gets moving.

It is important to understand and accept that sometimes life is hard. When we ignore this fact, we live with unrealistic activities and do not prepare ourselves for the hard times to come. Entrepreneurs need to understand that some days, their businesses will be a dream come true. Everything will work well. Employees will do their jobs with good attitudes and excellent productivity. Customers will sing praises from the rooftops.

At the same time, sometimes things go horribly wrong. Employees may have bad attitudes and do things that cost the business money it cannot afford. Customers may complain unjustly and post untrue horror stories on social media.

When an entrepreneur walks into work daily, she has no idea what she will face. However, if she understands that sometimes life will be hard and she is prepared to handle hard days, life will be better than had she not prepared in advance. I always advise my clients, “Don’t get ready; stay ready.” This is an excellent idea for entrepreneurs. Create a plan to deal with bad days, bad employees, and bad customers before you need it. That way, when the hard and bad days come, you will be ready for what you face.

Another lesson of this poem is that someone always sees you as a role model.

In the poem, the mother models resilience, perseverance, and determination. There was no formal declaration, but like so many mothers, that mother was a role model. She was a role model for her son. As a mother, taking her son from birth to adulthood is her job. Along the way, she must do all she can to help him be strong and self-sufficient. To do that, he must do as his mother did. He must make his way in the world even when he cannot see what is coming next. He must keep going even when things are hard to do. His mother has shown him the way, so he has no reason to miss the mark.

Additionally, she was a role model for other family members, the world at large, and people she did not know were watching her. One of the most amazing things for many entrepreneurs is the number of people watching them. Of course, they think their competitors are watching them. Customers are watching. At the same time, people are watching who will never purchase the entrepreneur’s goods and services. People who travel past the entrepreneur’s place of business on their daily walk through life are watching. Others follow the entrepreneur on social media and never see the entrepreneur in person, but nonetheless, watch her every move with extreme interest.

As entrepreneurs, we are role models. We are role models for other entrepreneurs. We are role models for those who want to become entrepreneurs. Interestingly, we are also role models for people who have no desire to operate businesses of their own. We are also role models for people worldwide who have dreams they want to pursue. This is an awesome responsibility. Because we are role models, we must operate our businesses to the best of our abilities. We must never take our role model status for granted. After all, to whom much is given, much is required. The fact that entrepreneurs are role models, even if unknowingly, is just one of this poem’s lessons for entrepreneurs.

If  you want to read more about succeeding as an entrepreneur, check out:

 Customer Service Matters, So Make Yours Excellent – Customers help make your business go around, so treat them right! Click here to read more.

Also, check out our Confidence Tip of the Day YouTube channel for hundreds of videos on creating the confidence you need to succeed.

You can keep moving forward even if life is hard, the third of the lessons for entrepreneurs in this poem.

We have all heard the expression that there is a time for everything. As entrepreneurs, we must understand that sometimes, something must be done when it is hard for us to do it. The fact that a thing is hard really doesn’t matter. We must do whatever it is that we must do. When things are hard, you must find a way to push forward and get things done. You cannot always wait for the easy road, the easy time, or the easy method.

I have tried and true methods for getting things done when they are hard or scary. The first one, I call the “Lost” method.  The second I call the best/worst method.  The “Lost” method comes from the old television show, “Lost.” In the first episode of that show, a surgeon talks about his first spinal surgery. During the surgery, he made a mistake and cut where he shouldn’t have and potentially rendered a woman paralyzed for life. He gave himself five seconds to panic. Once the five seconds were up, he had to return to work and save the woman’s life and future mobility. Things turned out perfectly for the patient, as they often do on television. So, whenever I am overwhelmed, scared, or unable to push forward easily, I give it five seconds. I let myself be truly scared, overwhelmed, or unable to go forward for 5 seconds and five seconds only. Once those `five seconds are up, I move. I do something.

Sometimes, life is so hard that I must repeat that five-second method every few minutes. When those situations arise, I do the five-second method as often as I need to to get what needs to be done. There have been times when I had to do the five-second method 10 times in an hour. However, as time passed and I continued to move, it became once an hour, then once a day, and once. Month. Eventually, the time came when I did not have to use the five-second method for that situation anymore.

The other method I use for getting through hard times is the best/worst method. To use this method, I first determine the best possible outcome. Then, I determine the worst possible outcome. I have learned that once I understand the best—and worst-case scenarios, I can handle whatever comes my way.

Sometimes, times are hard and even dangerous. Even with that being the case, she tells her son that she has kept moving forward all her life, walking over torn-up carpet and nails sticking up to trip her as she traveled.

Take a moment now to reflect on these lessons. How can you put them into play in your business? Be sure to share your ideas in the comment section. You may help someone find a breakthrough.

This has been my favorite poem since I was ten years old. It has stood the test of time in my life. As a child, I identified with the mother in the poem. I saw myself climbing stairs, overcoming obstacles, and reaching my goals. As a young wife, I saw the mother as a partner and the son as my husband, and I encouraged him to reach his goals and followed him to achieve his dreams. Now, as a mother of four children, I see myself as a mother again. I push my children to move forward, to keep going, and to take action now to achieve their goals and always to expect victory.

As an entrepreneur, I look at this poem and see all its lessons for entrepreneurs. I know that sometimes life is hard, but my business will survive. I know that there are always people looking at me as a role model, which obligates me to be a good and ethical entrepreneur. I know that my business and I can keep moving forward no matter how hard life gets. So, the question for you on this magnificent day is, what lessons have you learned from the staircase in this poem?