I was sitting at my desk at the verge of crying when my 6-year-old son walked into the room. His little face filled with concern when he looked at me. “What’s wrong mommy?” he asked. In the grand scheme of life nothing was wrong but at that moment in our little bubble I was coming unhinged.

A few months before I volunteered to plan his schools Fall Festival. It was a big deal for him. He was excited his mommy was in charge. I didn’t appreciate how much work the event would be. The logistics. The details. The nonexistent budget. I was stressed and overwhelmed. I was afraid it would be a disaster and my son would be disappointed. I wanted to cry.

I don’t recall exactly what I told my son, but I remember explaining the Fall Festival was stressing me out. There was so much that needed to be done and I didn’t know how I would ever get it done in time. He looked at me in bewilderment. He grabbed me with his little arms and gave me a huge hug then looked me in the eye and said six words that would change my life forever,

“Don’t worry. You got this, Mom!”

At that moment my son had unwavering confidence in my abilities. The idea the festival would be a disaster never crossed his mind. I wanted to see myself as the superhero my son thought I was. Would I screw up? Of course. Could I fail? Absolutely. Was I going to stress about it anymore? Hell no! From that day forward my mantra became, “You got this, mom!” It has moved me to action every time I’ve doubted myself and drives me as I work with others and help them overcome whatever obstacles might be challenging them.