Listening to Taylor Swift

Wait, is that controversial?

I think if I were to rank all of the best advice I've heard in life, I might be able to identify the top three bits.

I've written about one of them here before. I happened to pull into a parking lot where I saw a sign with this quote. It blew me away, and I’ve never forgotten it:

“Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got.” — R. Brault

Whoa. “R. Brault” turns out to be the author, Robert Brault, now 87 years old.

Here’s the second of the “top three” bits of advice I’ve ever seen about how to live a happier, healthier life.

It comes from someone much more famous: Taylor Swift.

No offense to Mr. Brault: also more likely to impress my daughter to learn that I am writing about her.

Taylor Swift

Her advice came in the context of the 2-hour podcast interview she did recently with her fiance, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce.

It ran two hours; there’s a lot to unpack.

But whether you’re a Swiftie or not, I think this short passage, which came about while Swift was discussing what it’s like to be a celebrity, and how she copes, and why she works hard never to check out how social media (lest she be “terrified” as she put it), is worth thinking about.

The short bit of wisdom she had to share: “You should think of your energy as if it’s expensive, as if it’s a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it.”

Whoa, redux.

Shake it off

The common thread in both of these quotes? It’s about mindset and control. It’s about deciding what your environment will look and feel like, instead of being a product of your environment.

And, it’s about being active, as opposed to reactive.

You say you’ve been hurt? You’ve been wronged? You think you deserve an apology?

Skip the middleman, so to speak. Don’t let the other person have control. Act as if they apologized.

Or: You find other people trying to drag you down, or pull you into their drama?

Don’t pay attention. Don’t give them control. To coin a phrase: Shake it off.

Orange you glad you didn’t do this?

Here’s an ironic twist.

Just as Swift professed the value of simply ignoring what people say about you, and not allowing them to sap your energy — it seems every brand on the planet did the exact opposite of what she suggested.

For example, Swift mentioned in passing during the podcast that she’d had LASIK eye surgery.

LASIK.com reacted immediately:

TAYLOR SWIFT EVERYONE

WE’VE PEEKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I think they meant “peaked.”)

Brand after brand after brand “began posting orange-hued memes on their own social media accounts” after Swift announced a new album during the podcast, given her affinity for the color.

In fact, X (nee Twitter) itself temporarily changed its profile pic to an orange “X” for similar reasons.

The best advice

Since I started here with two of the three best pieces advice I ever came across — Robert Brault and now Taylor Swift, you might wonder what was the other bit?

In a way, it’s the same advice — only it came decades earlier, from my mom. I’ve written about it here before.

Growing up, she used to tell me and my siblings two things over and over:

• “Be in the driver’s seat.”

• “Remember who comes first.”

Similar themes to what we’ve been talking about in this column already: Be proactive, not reactive.

Somebody’s going to make decisions for the group? Be the leader, not a follower.

You want to help other people? Great. Make sure you help yourself first, or else you won’t be much good to anyone.

Similar theme, right? So, thanks Mom, for being on point before an author and before the best-known singer-songwriter of our time.

No parking lot signs or podcasts required.

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7 other things worth knowing

• President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited the royal family at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for a state visit the British government is using to try to bolster the trade and security relationship between the two countries. Trump and King Charles capped off the day with toasts at an opulent state banquet with 160 guests. (NPR)

• Trump allies have dismissed claims Charlie Kirk was killed by a lone assassin. Senior figures in the Maga movement believe Tyler Robinson, the student charged with Kirk’s murder, is part of a wider conspiracy involving a Left-wing terrorist network, and that authorities need to widen the scope of their investigation. The FBI has suggested Mr Robinson may have worked with others, although no one else has yet been charged in connection with the crime. (The Telegraph)

• ABC on Wednesday night pulled the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late-night show off the air “indefinitely” after Kimmel, on Monday night’s show, suggested that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Kirk last week at a Utah university, was aligned with President Donald Trump’s MAGA — Make America Great Again — movement. Hours earlier, FCC Chair Brendan Carr told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick,” and that there was a “strong case” for action against ABC and Disney. (CNBC)

• Heightened fears of politically motivated attacks have prompted Republican leaders to throw their support behind $30 million in new spending for lawmaker security, a move rattled rank-and-file members say is long overdue. The planned funding comes as many lawmakers say they have canceled events or changed routines due to security worries in the wake of the Kirk shooting, with some saying top party officials weren’t taking their concerns seriously enough. (WSJ)

• Denmark conducted the largest military exercise in Greenland's history this week, along with NATO allies, but excluded the U.S. as tensions remain high over President Donald Trump’s intention to acquire the Danish territory. The exercise, small by U.S. standards, included contributions from the militaries of several European NATO allies, according to the Danish military. More than 550 people and soldiers took part, including more than 70 from France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. (Time)

• Paying to use a public bathroom isn’t a new concept. But, some public bathrooms in China are forcing users to watch an ad in order to gain access to toilet paper. A video shared by China Insider showed a person scanning a QR code on the roll dispenser and watching a short advertisement, before a few squares of paper are dispensed. (Metro UK)

• John H. Luckadoo, the last surviving pilot from the storied 100th Bombardment Group, a war-battered unit of B-17 heavy bombers that flew missions deep over German-held territory during World War II, died on Sept. 1 in Dallas. He was 103. Mr. Luckadoo, known as Lucky, was just 19 when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces soon after Pearl Harbor. Only three other pilots of the original 40 in Mr. Luckadoo’s training class reached their 25th flight. (The New York Times)

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Thanks for reading. Photo by Rosa Rafael on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.