The name ‘Taylor Swift’ has become synonymous with ‘music.’ While Taylor is an exceptional artist, she isn’t limited to music. She is an industry veteran with more experience than people know. Whether you’re her fan or don’t like her much, everyone can learn valuable lessons from her life and challenging journey to date. Here’s a list of 11 valuable lessons you may learn from Taylor Swift.
Take Control of Your Work
Scooter Braun (the music mogul) sold the rights to Taylor’s first six albums to an investment fund for over $300 million without her consent. It not only violated Taylor’s rights over her music but also challenged her musical legacy.
Instead of feeling defeated, she regained control over her work by re-recording her first six albums to devalue the originals sold without her consent. Surprisingly, it worked in her favor after her re-recorded versions outperformed the originals by a landslide. People can use this experience to maintain control over their work, protecting themselves from exploitation.
Embrace Resilience and Self-Confidence
People often confuse Taylor’s tremendous success with luck, but it results from her never-ending belief in self and resilience. She has faced numerous traumatic challenges throughout her career, ranging from celebrity feuds to fighting for music ownership rights.
Taylor always stood up against these challenges and didn’t let anyone shake her self-confidence, contributing to her legendary success. Even if your current situation seems irreparable, reigniting your belief in self and embracing resilience can help you navigate adversities.
Become ‘Unbothered’ by Things Beyond Your Control
Celebrities are vulnerable to public criticism and public scrutiny, but few have experienced the extreme negativity Taylor faced. While criticized for almost everything, she handled it maturely over time. Taylor knew that some people didn’t like her, and she chose not to bother and channel her energy into her work.
Her famous album ‘Reputation’ is a strong representation of this approach. Even if you’re not a celebrity, you’ll be subject to criticism or face challenges outside of your control. The only logical way out is to cut through the noise and use every setback as a catalyst for growth.
Stand Up for What You Believe In
Taylor was not vocal about her beliefs during the initial work years, but she eventually started opening up on social media. From sharing opinions about gun reforms to expressing political support for democratic members- she has done all. However, she faced extreme trolling and hate throughout this journey.
The biggest lesson it can teach you is to stand firm for your beliefs, even when faced with intense opposition. While challenging, your vocal support for your beliefs can become the reason for meaningful changes.
Turn Setbacks into Comebacks
People active on X (formerly Twitter) in 2016 would have witnessed the extreme hate Taylor received from everyone. Her alleged feud with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and others resulted in her portrayal as a ‘villain.’ While she went on a year-long hiatus to recover from this villainization, Taylor returned stronger than ever by releasing her ‘Reputation’ album.
This album showed her using the negative narrative to fuel her comeback. She made people realize that life will always throw obstacles, but it’s your response that defines you.
Build and Nurture a Loyal Community
Every business must learn the art of community management from Taylor Swift. Unlike other celebrities, she doesn’t treat her fans like ordinary admirers or followers. You can see her building personal connections and nurturing a loyal community of swifties through surprise fan visits, heartfelt social media responses to fan’s comments/stories, exclusive community content, etc.
These activities make her fans feel seen, translating to their fierce support for the artist. If you run any business, remember to build a loyal community comprising employees, customers, etc., because it will consistently deliver phenomenal long-term results.
Be Financially Smart and Visionary
If you want to take only one lesson from Taylor Swift’s success, ensure you take this. While people know her as a phenomenal artist, she’s also a successful businesswoman who has created an entire empire from hard work and strategic decision-making.
Instead of relying on one income stream, she diversified her wealth pool through brand partnerships, real estate investments, merchandise deals, lucrative licensing, musical tours, etc. Her financial moves are a lesson in financial planning and management for everyone, regardless of how much money you currently earn.
Use Your Platform for Good
Beyond music, Taylor Swift significantly contributes to social welfare, especially to those in need. She reportedly offered $3,000 to people who lost jobs during COVID-19 and were struggling to pay their bills. Her philanthropic efforts may not have earned her personal gains, but they enabled her to make a positive impact. People can use her philanthropic philosophy as a reminder that massive success is most meaningful when shared.
Reinvent Yourself to Stay Relevant
Taylor Swift started her singing career as a country singer but effortlessly transitioned into pop, indie folks, and other genres while still sounding like ‘Taylor.’ Experts say such evolving ability is challenging to master, yet Taylor achieved it. These continuous transitions helped her remain relevant in the music industry while helping her reach more audiences.
If you’re a working professional, you must learn this willingness to reinvent oneself. Evolve your skillset with time, try new things, and say ‘yes’ to opportunities you’ve never tried. They will help you build lasting success.
Own Your Narrative
Whether you work in a closed corporate environment or in front of the public’s eyes, others will always have an opinion of you. While you cannot control what others think about you, owning how you show up to it is always in your hands. It’s exactly what Taylor Swift does every time. She uses confession, testimony, and narrative justice to place her side of the story in public view to own most narratives. Her strategic rebranding through albums like Reputation has helped her address common misconceptions about her. You can follow a similar approach to counter personal attacks and emerge stronger.
Stay True to Your Core Values
One of the biggest reasons behind Taylor Swift’s legendary success is her staying true to her core values. Anyone seeing her journey would know that she started as a country singer and kept evolving with time by adopting newer genres. Despite constant transformations, she didn’t lose touch with her core values of authenticity and storytelling.
She still sticks to it, and it’s a factor that has kept her fans hooked to her music. You can use her experience to remember that compromising on values for temporary gains can backfire, whereas staying true to your core values will build lasting success, credibility, and respect.
