In case you weren’t aware, on April 23rd 2016 (almost exactly 4 years ago), Beyonce dropped her award winning and iconic album, Lemonade. As a Beyonce fan from birth, (seriously, I had full fledged performances of “Single ladies” at the age of like 8), this album changed the way I thought about music and surprisingly, myself. It was revealed that the OTP and couple goals of many had some secrets of their own and were not so perfect after all. Personally, I think Beyonce revealing the not so picture perfect aspects of her life was one of the best things she could have done. I could write a doctoral thesis on this album, but I’ll narrow it down to 5 lessons we can learn from this masterpiece.
1. It’s important to remember and be thankful for the past
Beyonce reminds us that although the past may hurt, it is important to reminisce and learn from experiences. Not everything we go through in life will feel great, but everything we go through will mold us into who we are meant to become. Learn from experiences, don’t run.
2. Trust your intuition
When something or someone doesn’t feel right, trust yourself girl! Never go along with anything you don’t feel comfortable with or disregard how you really feel about a situation or person to take the easy way out. You know yourself better than anyone.
3. It’s okay to not be sorry
Sometimes, we go through traumatic situations that cause shame, guilt, and inexplicable pain (especially in our romantic relationships). Often, the best way to heal is to turn your back and walk away unapologetically. You have the right to be angry and unapologetic. Stop making excuses for other people.
4. Self love is the best love
If you give and give a certain amount of yourself without getting anything in return, you will run yourself into the ground. A relationship requires love from both sides, so if you’re not getting what you need, get out. Never feel pressured to commit to someone if you aren’t fully comfortable with yourself. You can’t love other people if you don’t love yourself.
5. Don’t forget where you came from
Our roots lie within our families, our homes, and our cultures; all things Beyonce deems essential to who she is, and we should too. No matter how successful we may become, we owe it to where we came from, even if it wasn’t always a perfect situation. Just be humble.