Bette King

I attribute my success to living life to the fullest and being a people person. I believe in interacting with people, meeting people, helping people, and bringing joy to people through entertainment and other work. I think if more people would engage with each other, life might be different. All of the things that I do involve engaging with other people. I also believe in having the courage to ask for what you need and what you want, and to reach out. I always tell people, if one door closes, it just forces another one open. That's how most people could be successful if they take the time to engage. I think the trouble in this world today is people don't ask for what they need versus what they want. People look at me and say at my age, I have more energy than somebody in their 30s or 40s, and I'm always on the go, always doing things, and when people meet me, they never forget me. So there must be something that I'm doing that's causing that to be. I walk into a room and people say everybody knows who you are. I think that's where I'm at in life today.

The best advice I ever received came from a psychologist named Dr. Reedy. He gave me some really great statements that I've carried with me throughout my life. He said things like 'do what you do best and pay for the rest' and 'what you permit, you teach.' I think he gave me some real good balance for life. These are witty statements, statements to live by, and I think that's been a big influence on me. I pass those statements on to people, and they say, let me get a pencil and write that down. As far as career advice specifically, I'm self-taught, so nobody has ever given me any advice as far as my career. I've given them advice. But Dr. Reedy's life advice has really left a mark on me in dealing with people and dealing with my daily life.

My advice is to follow your talent. Don't teach by the book, and don't follow by the book. Just because something is written in a book doesn't mean it's the only way or the right way. For example, a book might say red doesn't go with yellow, but that doesn't mean that it can't work beautifully together. For someone entering interior design specifically, I'd say follow your talent and don't worry about the book. For entertainment, my advice would be to reach out and don't be afraid to make that call. Don't be afraid to reach out for what you want. That's how I got Billy Joel and other top performers when I was young - I just went after them and was able to get them because I wasn't afraid to ask.

The biggest challenge right now is working with the internet and AI. I'm very frustrated with this whole new concept of AI because it's taken over. For example, I wrote an article, and then all of a sudden, AI came up and took what I wrote and wrote three different versions of it, asking which one I would like to use. I got very insulted. I answered back to AI, which is like answering a dummy, and said none of them. These might be more appropriate, but they're not my words. I get very frustrated by the fact that I like to speak for myself. I like to be heard for what I want to say, not what AI wants to say. I feel what I write comes from my heart, but what AI writes comes from a book or from whoever programmed it. I'm not a program. I say what I feel, I say what has to be said, and I say it in a way that's respectful, but it comes from the heart. It doesn't come from left field or some book. When I do speaking engagements and they ask if I need a light for my notes, I say no, I don't have any notes. They look at me and say you're going to speak for an hour or 45 minutes without notes? I speak from my cuffs - I speak off the cuff. I look at my audience and get a reflection of what they're looking for, and I try to engage them. I'm not a program, I'm an individual, and so is everybody else. Unfortunately, most people are afraid to express themselves. If more people would just say what's on their mind or reach out, things would be different.

The values most important to me are being honest and forthright in dealing with people. Again, it's all about people for me. I believe in doing the best that I can deliver and encouraging others to maybe try to follow in some of my footsteps of things that have been successful. I try to encourage people to focus more on the words 'you can' rather than 'you can't' or 'I can't' - that's not in me. I think having a positive attitude is crucial. Even despite despair or anything else, a positive attitude can get you through life. I believe you should focus on getting yourself out of yourself. Most people are too into themselves, and I think if you get yourself out of yourself, you will find a new world out there. I also believe strongly in being charitable and helping others without waiting to be asked. If I see somebody in distress, I've always got my hand in my pocket to help them. That's just who I am, probably because of the life I grew up with.