I mean … life can be a bitch. There. I said it. If it isn’t for you, congrats and all, but don’t hold your breath waiting for me to give you a slow clap. But for most, we are scratching and clawing our way to success and trying desperately to be the “last man standing.” Which can I say, is exhaustifying.

You will never find me pouring over a book in the “Self Help” section of Barnes and Noble, and I most definitely do not have a poster of a cat hanging from a tree that says “Hang in There,” posted up in my office. But sometimes, classic words of wisdom from bad ass women who have made something of themselves in this cut throat industry does the trick. Enter Lenna Lyons, stage right.

After stumbling upon a fantastic blog by two sisters called A Piece of Toast (by the way, how amazing is that name, right?), I found Net-a-Porter’s article listing out Jenna Lyons’ life rules. I mean does it get any better than stumbling upon fellow bloggers who stumbled upon a great article and blogged about it? I think not.

All her life rules are simple and will change the way you live your everyday life. If I could post this on every wall I come across, I would be happy, because I wouldn’t lose sight of my end all … becoming Beyonce. No no … I kid, I kid. But hopefully this brings you just the inspiration you needed like it did for me.

Now excuse me I need to go karate-chop the wonderful world of blogging!

1. I work on my instincts. At the end of the day, it’s all you have. If you don’t trust yourself, no one else is going to either.

2. You can’t fix yesterday. And don’t beat yourself up over it – the only reason to beat yourself up is if you don’t learn from it.

3. Respect honesty and transparency. There is no room for people who can’t give a clear and honest opinion.

4. I feel like I’m learning – and making mistakes – all the time! But if I wasn’t and suddenly felt stagnant, that would be the thing that would make me not want to work.

5. When I was younger, I always wanted things to be easier – but I learned that there are always some things in flux and always changing. Then I realized that makes things far more interesting.

6. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. There is no question. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.

7. Never assume that just because we did it one way means that we can do it again the same next time.

8. I realized early on that no matter what I am feeling and no matter what is happening to me, either personally or professionally, there is no place for that [in the workplace]. I am really good at compartmentalizing, probably to a fault! When you force yourself to do it, you realize that it’s not as hard as you think.

9. I don’t want to stay looking the same. Someone once said that they didn’t recognize me because I wasn’t wearing a red lip, so I thought, “Oh, I won’t wear a red lip for a while.”

10. Giving feedback in the creative world is so delicate. I spend a lot of time picking my words carefully.