One Saturday afternoon in Feburary 2016, I went to a charity event with some friends. While there, I got this frantic text that Beyonce just dropped a secret video. Of course, I had to immediately check it out (for literary purposes of course). At the time I was number 50,234. For those that don’t know, that means I was early in the discovery! 24 hours later there were over 10,000,000 views.
While I’m not a big fan of profanity and there is some in this video, there are also some lessons that are so empowering that I had to go back into time to share. I have 5 success tips from Beyonce’s Formation.
Dream/work/grind/own – This is a no brainer. If you are reading this, you have dreams. But the connection is, do you work hard on those dreams specifically? Have you figured out your purpose, made a plan for success and actually taken steps to live the life you were created for? Most of us spend our whole lives working at someone else’s company, furthering someone else’s goals and getting someone else their dream. How are you “grinding” till you own it?
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Stay Gracious – This is my favorite tip. In my own career and personal life, I have gone through adversity. How you respond in a tough situation shows what you are made of. If someone wrongs you, learn the lesson, record the information and keep it moving. Wasting time on revenge or pity takes up too much of your valuable time. Stay above the fray. Get in formation!
Go off – Yes, human beings are allowed moments to vent. Pick those moments carefully. You don’t have to be a doormat if wrong is being done to you. Be confident in your power. You also don’t have to “keep your head down” to have success. At the same time, venting on the folks at work is never a good thing. In your professional life, show that you are about business. Work like a pro. If someone/something is wrong, straighten it out. Don’t be afraid to voice what is right and then be amazing and show them how it’s done. You are a star.
Keep Your Hot Sauce – What makes this so amazing? You can be yourself! Many times as people rise up the corporate ladder, or attain wealth in business, arts, etc., we believe that we have to fit into a certain mold in order to be part of the team. Being the only woman in the office, only person of color on the board, even the only graduate in your family, can cause us to pretend to be something that we really are not (or at least not anymore). Feel free to keep your accent, while speaking professionally. Claim your love for TJ MAXX while sitting at the table with the Gucci girls-who will ask you to buy, because they don’t have any more money after paying for their empty purse. It is ok to speak proper English at family gatherings, even though you find yourself trying to fit in by sounding like your ‘hood. Slay by being your authentic self!
Slay – For those of you that only know the term “to slay” as being to kill or end a life, it also means to greatly impress or amuse. Growing up, my parents always taught my brother and I to do our best and in doing that, it would make us be THE Best. It wasn’t about beating other people, it was about always doing everything that we could to give 100% of what we were able to do. Not being a 50%’er. In most cases we did win the speaking competition, election and got the good grade. The lesson is to do your best. It is so easy to be happy with “good”, but great is so much better. When you are going after your greatness, slay every day.
There is so much more I have in my head about that song. Thoughts on the imagery and the political statement being made, but it’s your turn. In the comments, share what makes you Slay in life and empowers you to be your personal best! -MJ