No, Taylor Swift does not write songs exclusively about boys. Her first 4 albums are all about self-discovery and life when you're 14-22. These are some of the most formative years of a person's life, and Taylor Swift shared this fragile, awkward, silly, heartbreaking, and vulnerable stage of her life with the whole world. Her music helped me through my awkward years, and I think we can all learn a few things from her experiences:
1. It's okay to not know what comes next
In her first album, Taylor sings about not knowing what her future holds. A Place In This World tells the story of a young girl with the world at her fingertips, and no clue what to do with it. She shares what it's like to feel alone in the world, which is something everyone experiences at some point.
2. Bad things can happen to good people
You can do everything right and still get hurt. You can be the nicest person in the world, and someone will still find a flaw to exploit. Don't think that just because something bad happens to you it must be your fault. (A Perfectly Good Heart, Taylor Swift)
3. Take a breath, look forward
We all have people that we rely on. Everyone needs their friends, or even significant others, for support. But when life leads us down a different path than the people we once leaned on, it can be hard to find your footing. This is an unfortunate fact of life, but if we can learn to rely on ourselves too, we can look ahead and move forward. (Breathe, Fearless)
4. You have the power to enact change
We live in a world of rules and norms, and not all (actually, a lot) are unfair. But we all have the power to change the outcome. We can't control where we're from or where we've been, but we can control where we're going. (Change, Fearless)
5. Own up and say you're sorry
We all make mistakes and we all inevitably cause someone else pain. We can't go back and changed what we said or did, but we can swallow our pride and apologize. Even if you don't think it will make a difference, it's something we should all do more. (Back To December, Speak Now)
6. Words hurt, but they can't keep you down
Taylor Swift has faced an insane amount of criticism in her life. When she was a breakout artist, critics slammed her first Grammy performance. In retaliation, she wrote a song that would become an anthem of a generation. Don't let anyone make you feel inferior or like you can't chase your dreams. (Mean, Speak Now)
7. Don't be in a hurry to grow up
All little kids dream about being a big kid. When I was little, my friends and I would play and pretend we were in high school because that meant we would officially be big kids (LOL).
We wanted to be like the girls in Disney movies who all had cars and boyfriends and perfect lives. What we didn't yet understand is that growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. Take your time, enjoy every stage of life, and don't rush through life chasing some fantasy about how things will be. (Never Grow Up, Speak Now)
8. Look back, but don't go there
We all have negative experiences that we can learn from. A key lesson is usually not to let the past repeat itself. (All Too Well, Red)
9. Starting over is possible
Again, everyone will face something that seems impossible in their lifetime. Healing and being ready to move forward can take a while, but new beginnings won't walk up and plant themselves at your feet. You have to put yourself out there again and go find them. (Begin Again, Red)
10. Everyone needs to let loose once in a while
Life isn't easy, sometimes we just need a night to forget all the stress and confusion and just dance like we're 22. (22, Red)
