Dolly Parton on Positive Energy

Country legend Dolly Parton is busier than ever these days.  The '9 to 5' singer credits her family and music as the sources of her positive personality and inspiration that have shaped her humble beginnings to music superstardom in her cover story in the Nov/Dec issue of 'Live Happy.'

In “The Joy of Dolly,” Parton discusses her various projects, all of which are rooted in family values staying true to her upbringing including, her autobiographical movie, 'Coat of Many Colors,' which airs on NBC on December 10th,  in time for the holidays and of Imagination Library, a nonprofit organization that promotes early childhood literacy by giving age-appropriate books to children that was inspired by her father.

Quotes from Dolly Parton

On her family:

· “My mama and daddy were the strongest people I ever met. God, family and hard work weren’t just ideas at our house, they were what made our house. I carry those values in my heart every single day, and I think it’s the best gift my folks ever gave me.”

On happiness:

· “But I’ll tell you the truth, being happy is not always easy. No one can be happy all the time. As a songwriter, I need to feel all kinds of different emotions so I can tell my stories through music. At the end of the day, I choose to be happy.”

· “I have new ideas and dreams every single day, and I can see them as if they were already happening. I have been working on my dreams since I was 10 years old. I think my best and happiest days are still ahead of me. In fact, I know it.”

On her career:

· “If there is something different in me, it’s that I make a choice each day to work hard to face challenges head-on, and keep reaching for those dreams. You’d be surprised how many I actually catch.”

· “Everything there is to know about me is in my music. My ups, my downs, my good- and my not-so-good times are all there in the stories I write. Every song I sing reveals a little more about my heart and what guides me through this life.”