When Beyoncé was 16, her parents, Mathew and Tina filed for bankruptcy for the third time following a $38,845 tax lien in 1995, with her mother getting sued for bouncing checks. The same year, her parents broke up. Tina left home with the girls and moved into a tiny house. A friend, Sha Sha Daniels said “Tina would say that they were going to cut off the water or electricity to the town house. Or she needed money for food.” It was a few more years before Beyoncé’s band, Destiny’s Child hit mainstream success but then, when the band broke up, Beyoncé went into a depression for two years. She says “I went through depression. I didn’t eat. I stayed in my room.” “I was in a really bad place in life, going through that lonely period: ‘Who am I? Who are my friends?’ My life changed.” Beyoncé finally decided she had two choices: “I can give up, or I can go on.” The result? Beyoncé has gone on to sell over 160 million albums, win 20 Grammy Awards to become the most nominated woman in the Grammy’s history, receive Billboards’ Millennium Award for being the Top Female Artist for the entire first decade from 2000, and be listed by Forbes as the most powerful female musician in 2015. Beyoncé credits the invisible early part of her life for her very visible future success: “My parents taught me how to work hard and smart. Both were entrepreneurs; I watched them struggle working 18-hour days. “They taught me that nothing worth having comes easily. My father stressed discipline and was tough with me. He pushed me to be a leader and an independent thinker.” My mother loved me unconditionally, so I felt safe enough to dream. I learned the importance of honoring my word and commitments from her.” “One of the best things about my mother is her ability to sense when I am going through a tough time. She texts me the most powerful prayers, and they always come right when I need them. I know I’m tapped into her emotional Wi-Fi.” Who has your back in the hard times? Most often its the ones who’s back you had in their hard times. So who can you reach out and help today? “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ~ Winston Churchill “It’s really about changing the conversation. It’s not about perfection. It’s about purpose.” ~ Beyoncé
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