When Dolly Parton was a child, her mother advised her, “Always keep something back for you.”
Parton, 76, told Apple Music Country’s “The Kelleigh Bannen Show” on Tuesday that those six words have helped him retain success over six decades in show business. The concept, which applies to both business and work-life balance, essentially means to give to others while first meeting your own financial and emotional requirements — and Parton believes that any young person can benefit from that lesson.
“You can give what you have, but not everything,” Parton advised. “I also pray that God will give me enough to share and spare when it comes to my money, but also to myself.” Allow me to share whatever I can yet allow me to keep myself.”
The 10-time Grammy winner also stated that the advice affected her career, particularly in the early stages when she was learning how to connect with people while remaining loyal to herself. She was able to take ownership of what made her music – and stage presence – unique by keeping portions of her past private. “Even in the beginning, a lot of people told me I should modify my appearance or no one would ever take me seriously,” Parton remarked. “I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, they will when they see [the potential] I have.'”
Her self-assurance has opened the route for her financial success. Forbes projected the singer-net songwriter’s worth to be $350 million in August 2021. Parton has generously donated millions of dollars to organizations such as education, animal preservation, and Covid-19 vaccine development over the years.
Parton noted on Tuesday that the technique has also led to personal contentment throughout her career: she only commits to projects that she believes will benefit from her abilities. Parton’s latest studio album, “Run, Rose, Run,” was released this past Friday. On Monday, she and novelist James Patterson co-released a new book with the same title, a fiction about navigating the Nashville music industry.
Parton’s mother’s counsel even extends to her resolve to continue working hard at the age of 76. She admitted that she still creates songs and performs with “paint, powder, and cosmetics” on stage because her fans appreciate it and it shows who she is on the inside. But, she says, she works mostly because she enjoys the process. “I take myself as a songwriter more seriously than anything else,” she remarked. “I usually claim I’ve written 3,000 songs, three of which are good, but I really adore the excitement of composing.”