The Diva Rules

by Michelle Visage

Bitches and divas are not the same thing.

Bitchiness comes from a place of insecurity, but being a diva comes from a place of strength and love.

My divas get shit done while staying true to who they are.

An ugly personality always trumps a beautiful face. Always. And anyone who doesn’t know that isn’t a diva. She’s just an asshole with an attitude.

You are anything but average, and if you can remember that, you can approach the world from a place of strength, rather than weakness.

you spend your whole life looking in the rearview mirror, you’re going to crash.

IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND GET IT YOURSELF.

Every interaction you have is a new opportunity, so don’t waste it by sitting on your ass.

And don’t ever, ever count on anybody else to do the work for you. It’s all on you, and that’s as it should be. Because if you don’t earn your success yourself, I guarantee that it’s not going to last.

If you’re not liking the people around you, it’s up to you to change your surroundings and find new people. And keep an open mind, because you never know who will become your next BFF.

YOUR FRIENDS MAY NOT BE WHO YOU EXPECT THEM TO BE.

You have to put yourself out there in order to make new friends, and that can be scary, but there’s no getting around it.

Act the way you’d like your friends to act, and I promise they will come to you and you will find the love you deserve.

You are beautiful as you are. You woke up like that. And once you understand that simple truth, you don’t have to be scared of letting your true face, your true emotions, your true self show. And that’s giving good face.

But here’s the thing: If you’re constantly hiding behind something or someone else, life will pass you by.

(divas don’t sweat, darlings, we glisten),

WHEN COMPETITION GETS FIERCE, as it always has and always will on the great dance floor of life, it’s easy to get down on the other bitches gunning for you. It’s easy to hate them for stealing your moves or for making you feel scared or for even existing. How dare they! But rather than throw shade and hate, here’s what I want you to do instead: Fill your heart with gratitude and thank every single one of them for making you try harder, risk more, and be better than you ever would have been without them. Without the people who are constantly trying to outshine us, we would be the big, giant C word: complacent! (What did you think I was gonna say?)

Being able to find your fierceness, even in your weakest, most vulnerable moments, is what makes you a diva.

“What other people think of you is none of your damn business.” Life is hard enough already, and the only way to make it easier is to start loving yourself. And until you can do that, then, girl: You gotta fake it ‘til you make it!

Bette Davis quote. "What other people think of me is none of my business."

if you never, ever fail, you’re playing it way too safe. And safe is boring. Safe is stagnant. Safe leads to nothing but pure, unadulterated mediocrity,

Maya Angelou once said, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

You can’t expect your life to change without you doing the work it takes to change it. Don’t just sit there and cry. You are not a victim. You’re a diva.

Your truth lies in your heart and soul, not under your skirt or in your push-up bra.

We need to lift each other up. Alone, we are fierce. Together, we’re on fi-yah.

There is room for more than one woman to be successful. There is room for all of us at the top. We just need to stick together. We need to be one another’s allies. We need to lift one another up.

even in your darkest moments, live your life with love. You will be rewarded in more ways than you could ever count.

When you find yourself going to a bad place, pull yourself out of the situation and ask yourself these three questions: What am I doing? Why am I doing this? And what is it going to get me?

Don’t worry about things you can’t change, and don’t complain about things you can.

I am the queen of to-do lists, but I don’t call them that. Too boring. Diva, we call them our ta-da! lists.

At some point, you’ve got to come to terms with the fact that you can’t control every damn thing. Some things are just out of your hands, and you’ve got to make peace with that.

“You live with such strength and power that one day, you’re going to f*cking break.”

Hold on to your power. Rely on your talents, your wits, your voice, your creativity, and your heart, and if you can do that, I guarantee you, you will always get noticed, and you will always feel beautiful.