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The USA lost an icon. The world lost a one-of-a-kind talent with the death of Dolly Parton.
The media has done an excellent job of reminding us how talented Dolly was, all she accomplished and how she cared about people. As I write this, we have the story of Dolly's career playing on TV.
I did not know the song "I Will Always Love You" was written and first performed by Dolly Parton. I remember Whitney Houston singing that song in the movie "The Bodyguard" with Kevin Costner.
Dolly has given everyone an example of a life well lived we can all follow.
Dolly Parton grew up in a one-room rustic cabin with no electricity or running water in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, in the Sevier County foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. She was the fourth of 12 children. Her father was a hardworking sharecropper, tobacco farmer and construction worker. He could not read. Dolly frequently called him the smartest man she ever knew due to his incredible business savvy.
One lesson we learn from Dolly is America is still the land of opportunity. Dolly's vehicle to success was the entertainment industry. Her musical talent, positive attitude, perseverance and hard work showed anything was possible. Only in America could someone rise from abject poverty to incredible wealth.
When we hear the name Elon Musk, Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, do you think of their money first? I haven't heard anyone talk about Dolly Parton's net worth. Probably, she did not know or care what her net worth was. I checked, and she was worth about $650 million.
Dolly's focus was doing things to help others like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school. It has gifted over 330 million books to kids. The Dollywood Themepark in Pigeon Forge has helped to make eastern Tennessee a summer destination and created thousands of jobs in the area where Dolly grew up. Dolly made a lot of money from Dollywood. She first made a lot of people happy with the jobs she created and the good times visitors had at her park.
The success of Dolly Parton is not unique. Others have risen from poverty to achieve success and wealth in entertainment, athletics, business or other areas. Dolly's father inspired her. My brothers and I grew up poor by today's standards. We just didn't know it. Our parents constantly encouraged us to get an education or find a trade. Most of my brothers started in the building trades and eventually owned their own construction companies. Other Americans have come from abject poverty to become successful. Dolly Parton is the only person I ever knew who grew up in a one-room log cabin with no running water or electricity and achieved her level of success.
What is your dream? Do you have courage to dream. Walt Disney said, "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Dolly Parton dreamed high and had the courage to pursue her dreams. She focused on making people happy and worked hard to develop her God-given talents.
What are your talents? Successful people determine what their talents are, then work to develop them, making them stronger. When starting out as a professional speaker, I joined a mastermind group made up of my peers. The group was good at seeing our strengths or hidden talents we overlooked as individuals.
What are you passionate about? It can be deer hunting, fishing or spending time with the grandchildren. People who are passionate about something love to talk about it. Their eyes light up. They smile. From the time she was a little girl, Dolly Parton was passionate about music, singing and songwriting. When you have a dream you are passionate about, you will do whatever it takes to achieve it.
For those who don't have a dream and are not excited about a new day, please don't be a dream stealer. A dream stealer is a person who tells you all that can go wrong and the reasons you can't achieve your dreams. Sometimes life beats us up. Maybe we have seen a lot of failure or have health issues. One way to overcome a health issue is having a powerful dream that motivates us. The world is full of negative. If you expect to achieve a dream, start by spending time with positive, encouraging people. Turn off the TV and read a positive book.
One of the reasons I started coaching high school soccer was to give back to the school that gave my children an exceptional education. What I didn't expect was that, after a few seasons, those boys gave me the ability to dream again.
In October 2019, I ruptured both of my quads playing soccer in the adult league. I was in a wheelchair for two months. Muscle mass was lost because I couldn't put any pressure on my legs. In December 2019, I was supposed to run a half marathon with my daughter, Dannielle, at Kiawah Island, S.C. I committed to run the 2020 half with her. I told my physical therapist, "Most people want to walk again after an injury like this. I'm not leaving here until I can run again." My PT worked me hard. He loved to see me sweat. In December 2020, the Kiawah half was cancelled due to COVID. We knew the racecourse from previous years. I ran a half marathon at Kiawah with Dannielle one year after my injury. The power of a dream.
As people get older, it is important to find things we are passionate about to energize us and make us want to get out of bed in the morning. At 80, Dolly Parton was passionate about entertaining others. She had projects she was working on and intended to finish. Only death stopped her from achieving those dreams. Dream high and have courage to pursue them.
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Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker and author of four books and many published articles.