Dolly Parton: Her Tips For Finding The Joy In Life

Superstar Dolly Parton always seems happy — and why is that? Because this beloved singer has taken a deep dive into life and lived it with all the joy she can find!

Dolly, who turned 79 on Jan. 19, brought her gifts and talents into the world to share them with us, along with everything she’s learned about helping others. She’s generously donated millions to help hundreds of organizations reach their goals.

“It makes me feel good to help!” says Dolly. “When the pandemic started, I thought, ‘This is going to get serious. I need to pray about how I can help.’ ”

She donated a million to COVID research, jumping at the chance.

The “Jolene” singer says she gets her inspiration to help others from her upbringing. She was one of 12 children raised in a cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee. She grew up in a home that was poor, but rich in love. Dolly’s beloved father never learned to read, and that’s what inspired her to found the The country star Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that provides free books for kids, and adds, “I’ve been so blessed that it brings me so much happiness to give back, however I can.”

Here’s how you can be like Dolly, and celebrate life every day.

1. GET TO KNOW GOD

“I have a great relationship with God,” says Dolly, who’s been happily married to husband Carl Dean for 58 years. “I talk to God like He’s a friend. He knows everything about me, so I don’t have to hide nothing. People always say, ‘You always seem so happy,’ but everybody has their heartaches — deaths, health issues or just when things aren’t working. I’ve been through hard times and I know what depression feels like. I think God lets us feel those things so we can relate to others and know better how to serve. And I always come out of those times by praying.”

2. Prioritize Yourself

“In life, it’s important to know your weaknesses,” she shares. “Write them down on a piece of paper — all your good points ad your bad points — and then see which balance out the most. For me, life is like a battery: You’ve got to have the negative and positive to make it work. One doesn’t work without the other, so you’ve got to find your balance. Find out who you really are and make yourself happy before you try to make anybody else happy. Focus on you. Let yourself be your top priority.”

3. GET MOTIVATED

“You’ve got to kick your own butt!” Dolly says, about getting motivated to achieve your dreams. “Lots of people blame their lack of success on somebody else, but you can’t dream at someone else’s expense, nor can you blame other people for your lack of happiness. You’ve got to work it like a job. True happiness is a full-time job, and you need to love that work!”

4. FIND PEACE OUTSIDE

“I love to get out and explore nature — that’s one of my favorite things to do!” Dolly reveals. “I live out on a farm and I have a golf cart I like to drive around to just get out and look at the flowers, look at the blooms, find all the new bird nests and new things growing and popping up all around. Just being outside is so healing and good for the soul — it brings me much peace.”

5. BE BRAVE

“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try. You’ve got to step outside that comfort zone and do new things. And so what if you fail? Just pick yourself up and try again. For a dream to come true, you gotta put legs and wings and feet and hands and thought into it.”

6. TREAT OTHERS WELL

“There’s a saying about treating everyone like you want to be treated, and that’s important in a relationship too,” says Dolly. “Give your partner respect, space and devotion. And never argue and say hateful things. We’ve never done that, and we’ve just grown stronger.”

7. DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR AGE

“After you reach a certain age, they think you’re over. Well, I will never be over,” says the country legend. “I hope to fall over dead onstage right in the middle of a song.”

8. DON’T TRY TO CHANGE YOUR SPOUSE

Dolly claims she and Carl Dean never argue, although she does admit, “We might get pissy and say, ‘Why don’t you go out to the barn?’ He’s always loved who I was, and I loved who he was, and we never tried to change each other.”

9. DON’T OVERTHINK YOUR SPIRITUALITY

“Oh, I live my spirituality. You know, that’s how you practice it,” says Dolly. “Mostly, you just live it and be it. A lot of people overthink spirituality, you know? And they think it has to be some big ritual, but the kingdom of heaven is inside. It’s right inside of you.”

10. READ — A LOT

“I love to read — it’s my favorite hobby,” Dolly shares. “Whenever I need to relax, reading is the best thing. I’ll read myself to sleep at night. I don’t like to read books twice, but the older I get the more I’m able to. As they say, when you get older you can hide your own Easter eggs! I love Lee Smith. She’s always been my favorite Southern writer, and now I’m beginning to kind of go back and read some of her books again — it’s just the best way to unwind.”