Life Lessons We Can Learn From Betty White

The beginning of 2022 was hard. We were in the midst of a pandemic. We were struggling over an unstable economy, unsure where to work, and we were tired. We grasped at any happy moments we could. One of those moments was the anticipation of America’s Sweetheart Betty White’s 100 Birthday. When she passed, only days before her birthday, the country was distraught. But she left us with so much and so many things to remember her by.

Loving animals

Betty White was a huge animal lover and she had a number of pets throughout her life: a golden retriever, a Pekingese, a St. Bernard, and a miniature poodle, just to name a few.

Her long life can’t completely stem from her love of animals, but there are many studies that correlated having a pet and enjoying the company of animals, with happiness.

Not everything needs a script

When Betty had a variety show, she often ad-libbed her lines. She also had to ad-lib her responses when working on a different variety show called Hollywood on Television. Learning how to do this helped her with her career. Most of her more memorable quotes from later in her life were also from interviews and candid moments.

There’s no room for discrimination

One of the things Betty was known for was her kindness. A well-known example was from 1954 when she stood up for a talented black tap dancer and singer named Arthur Duncan. At the time, the country was still segregated and incredibly discriminatory. TV stations from the South told her she had to get rid of him (as he performed regularly on her variety show). If she didn’t cut him from her lineup, they threatened to remove her show from their schedule.

She didn’t comply. Instead, she was livid. She stood behind Arthur and continued to have him on her show as often as she could.

Stay active and happy

Right up until she passed, Betty was always working and helping others. She worked on Hot in Cleveland until 2015. She was nearly 89 when she worked on The Lost Valentine (a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie). She was always taking on side projects and staying busy, which kept her mind sharp and her body active.

By: Jocelyn DeVore