Dolly Parton Shares Her ‘Golden Rules’ for Life

Up-and-coming artists -- actually, pretty much everyone -- would do well to heed the advice of Dolly Parton, who has carved her way to the top of the country music industry using a set of "golden rules" to help her decide the best course of action.

"There are some golden rules in life," Parton tells People. "Be true to yourself. You need to know what you will and won't put up with, and what you're willing to sacrifice.

"A desire, a wish and a dream are different things, and you've gotta figure out those little differences," she adds. "Everybody wishes that they were rich or famous, but that's not necessarily going to happen if you don't have the spunk to make it happen. You gotta work your dreams; you gotta put legs and arms and arms and wings on them!"

Parton's golden rules have obviously worked well for her. The singer just re-released her 1999 The Grass Is Blue album on vinyl to celebrate Record Store Day 2015, and her Dollywood theme park is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year while in the middle of a 10-year, $300 million expansion. The real reason for her success, Parton says, has been her ability to overcome her fear that things won't work out.

"The key to my success has always been that my desire to succeed has always been greater than my fear," she says. "I've been scared to death about a lot of things, but then I think, 'Okay, you gotta buckle up, girl. You've got yourself here, so get out there and just do it.' And I just ask God to help me, and I follow that light."

But that's where Parton's words of wisdom come to an end. The singer says that she's careful to hand out advice to younger artists because she didn't want it when she was just starting out in the industry.

"I'm not one to give advice, because I never wanted anyone to give me advice," she says. "If someone comes to me, I say, 'What I did was this, but I'm not you.' It's different for each person."