Warning: some Naughty Language ahead!

On Saturday, one day before she slayed the Super Bowl halftime show, Beyoncé debuted “Formation,” her first new single and video in over a year.

There are buckets of truth and realness in the five-minute clip, but a few lines jumped out at me on first listen. To borrow a phrase from Oprah, Beyoncé was giving me all kinds of “lightbulb moments.”

So, if you’ve been looking for some life inspiration, look no further than Queen Bey:

1. “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils.” (For the days you think you look like the most unattractive human who ever walked the earth.)

My thighs touch, my nose has a prominent bump at the top, my stomach is not perfectly flat and my hair never actually does what I want it to. No matter, this is my body and I accept it. And not accept it as in I tolerate it. I’m not beautiful in spite of my flaws, I am beautiful because nothing about the way I look is a flaw. I accept that my look is fierce.

2. “Earned all this money, but they never take the country out of me.” (For the days you feel like you don’t fit in the world you’ve created and wonder “How did I get here?)

I do not have Beyonce’s money. Lord, do I wish I did. But everything I do have, I earned through hard work, sacrifice and the support of people who care about me. And no amount of money or success will change the fact that I hail from the South Bronx and a gigantic, rowdy, Black/Puerto Rican family who can’t seem to stay out of each other’s business or stop eating. I never forget that I am where I am, with what I have, because people before me helped pave the way.

3. “You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation.” (For the days when the truth is sitting on the edge of your tongue and you’re debating whether you should spit it out.)
I’ve always been honest, that person who says what they think. I’m never cruel, but I don’t have the temperament for nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with causing controversy, making people think or starting a revolution if we’re doing it for the greater good. I don’t worry if people talk about me, because I’m confident that what I’m saying matters. And if I’m not confident in what I’m saying, that usually means I need to close my mouth, reevaluate the situation (or my thoughts on the situation) and come back when I’m ready to handle being “that bitch.”

4. “Always stay gracious. Best revenge is your paper.” (For the days when you feel like the only way to succeed is to turn into an Evil Disney Queen and wreak havoc on everyone around you.)

We are a country that values success and money as markers of achievement. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just reality right now. I have goals and am fully aware that without money and a certain level of society-defined success, those goals may never be reached. But that doesn’t mean I have to be an asshole to get what I want. So I choose kindness, knowing that my success means nothing if when I get there I’ve become someone I can’t live with.

5. “I see it, I want it. I dream it, I work hard. I grind ’til I own it.” (For the days when the thought of getting out of bed, going to work and being an adult makes you want to be burned alive in the fire pits of Hell.)

Can you say “new life mantra?” Is it too soon to tattoo this on my body? This is how you hustle—Every Single Day. When I’m falling over myself in need of sleep or wondering if anything I’m doing will ever bring the results I crave, this is what I will repeat to myself. Out loud. Perhaps while I’m singing. Then I’ll bust out some sexy dance moves, because isn’t that what Bey would do?

 

Check out Beyoncé performing “Formation” at the Super Bowl halftime show:

 

Author: Nicole Cameron

Image: YouTube screenshot / YouTube screenshot