I was listening to Taylor Swift’s latest album on repeat yesterday when it hit me: Taylor Swift is a self-made, empowered woman who has created beauty and prosperity in her life at an extremely young age. At the age of 23, she has won six Grammys and about a million other awards and accolades. The more I pondered, the more I realized these five career lessons you can learn from our favorite all American gal.

1. Create your own space.

Taylor Swift’s music was never strictly country or pop — and that’s part of what made her so wildly popular! Her pop crossover style opened her music up to a wider audience and distinguished her from everyone else. You can do this too! If you find yourself torn between two interests, try to find a way to marry them and create a new niche just for yourself! This way, you can create a unique brand for yourself that no one else can occupy.

2. Figure out “your thing” and then do it!

So maybe she hides clues in her liner notes about the subjects of her latest break-up songs. Maybe she name-drops her exes in titles. She’s inspired to write songs when she’s falling in and out of love; that’s her thing. Your thing might be organization, a bubbly personality, or a killer way with words, but similar to occupying your own niche, figuring out your career “thing” can make you stand out to your employers.

3. Be unashamed.

People love to hate on Tay — both on her career and her personal life (Kanye, anyone?). But as ruthless as people can be, Taylor has stayed focused on the positives and continued doing what she does best and it has definitely paid off. You don’t have time to spare for those who are ready to point out everything wrong with you if you believe you’re doing something amazing.

4. Transform your lowest lows into prosperity.

Imagine if you could convert your worst heartbreaks into Grammy Awards! If you find yourself in a low place — you lost your job, you’ve just been dumped, or you bombed that last exam — use it as a chance to examine what went wrong and make a big change now. It might turn out to have been just the push you needed to really take off!

5. Always stay hopeful.

The joke is that she is always bouncing from guy to guy, but I admire Taylor for keeping her heart open to love even after relationships fail over and over again. The same goes for the job search. There are so many jobs out there, so just because one person (or two or three) says no doesn’t mean you don’t have something valuable to offer. Don’t let yourself become jaded! Just like our friend Taylor, your fairy tale ending is out there; you just have to keep your eyes (and heart) open to it.

What will you take away from Taylor Swift?

Photo courtesy of Radio 81