3 Key Takeaways from Beyoncé’s Homecoming on Netflix
If you aren’t one of the 200,000+ people in person, or one of the millions who tuned in to YouTube (according to USA Today) who reportedly witnessed the greatest ever Coachella performance over the 2-weekend showcase, you were likely as excited as I was when it was announced that Beyoncé was bringing her epic “Homecoming” documentary to Netflix.
When the announcement first hit the Internet, I was excited, because let’s face it—it’s Beyoncé! But once it was released, I kept putting off watching it, because I really didn’t have the time. I work full time, have a 2-year-old son, and I’m trying to build my own empire. Wait—did you just give me the side eye? Yes, I know it’s Beyoncé and you probably have never heard of my business (it’s www.flourishqueen.com by the way), but as Kevin Hart would say, “let me explain!”
Yes, I am a Beyoncé fan! Yes, I wanted to see “Homecoming.” Yes, it was an epic performance when I finally did watch it. I walked away proud and pumped from the awesomeness that I had just witnessed.
But then reality hit. I gave Beyoncé and Netflix 2 hours and 17 minutes of my time, so what was I going to take away from it? It is reported that Beyoncé got paid over $3 million for her 2-weekend performance at Coachella. I did not get paid anything to watch the Netflix special. In fact, I paid Netflix to be able to watch it. Since I gave my time and my money that I cannot get back, what was I going to get or take away from having watched it (besides the epic performance itself)?
Once I thought about it, it all started to come together. She gave us so much more than a drum line/HBCU halftime show version of her greatest hits through song and dance. There was a lesson behind the scenes. Did you miss it? I’m glad I’m here to help!
1. Self-Discipline
According to Dictionary.com, self-Discipline is the discipline and training of oneself, usually for improvement. The first thing I noticed was the self-discipline it took to get Beyoncé’s body in shape after giving birth to her twins Rumi and Sir. Beyoncé said she weighed 210 pounds before she delivered. They showed her post baby body in all black, baggie clothes in the documentary. In all honesty, even then she still looked great, but you could clearly see that she did not have the body of the Beyoncé we all know and admire.
Yes, she was getting daily workouts while practicing the dance routines for her upcoming show, but Bey knew if she was going to get her old body back, she was going to have to endure an extremely strict diet. You know that saying it’s "10% exercise and 90% what you eat?" She gave up alcohol, fish, dairy, bread, sugar…I lost track, she gave up so much. She set a goal for herself and made a decision that she was going to do whatever it took in order to achieve her goal weight.
One could argue that Beyoncé is wealthy enough to hire a trainer and personal chef to help her obtain her goal weight, but we all heard her say she was hungry!!! No personal chef can fix that. When you are on a strict diet and only eating so many calories per day, it takes self-discipline to get you through it, period.
To see Beyoncé’s post baby body and then see the end result on stage was breathtaking. She got her body all the way together! ALL THE WAY TOGETHER!!!!! ALLLLLL THEEEEE WAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!! She did that!
2. History Maker
Beyoncé was the 1st African American female headliner EVER for Coachella in its 20-year existence. She has an enormous platform and she used it to pay homage to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the form of “Homecoming,” and to showcase the amazing gifts and talents of other people of color, besides herself. She did that even though Coachella was widely known for being attended by a predominately white audience.
Even her mother Tina, who I’m sure is one of her biggest cheerleaders, expressed her concern on Instagram that “the predominately white audience at Coachella would be confused by all of the black culture and black-college culture.” Tina went on to share Beyoncé’s response that, “I have worked very hard to get to the point where I have a true voice and, at this point in my life and my career, I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the world and not what is most popular.”
Not only did Beyoncé make history by being the 1st African American female headliner for the very popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but she took it a step further and decided to use her platform and influence to shine a beautiful light on black culture. Through her “Homecoming” performance, Beyoncé stepped outside of the box to give the audience something different—something they had never seen or experienced before. What was the end result? Black, white, Hispanic, you name it…we all loved it!!
3. Hard Work
From what I gathered, it took at least 8 months of creating and perfecting this epic show, plus all the vocal and dance rehearsals for hours upon hours each day. What stood out the most for me, was that Beyoncé had her hand in every detail of it. She handpicked all of the performers, came up with the concept, created the pyramid and stage, including the intricate details like the stage measurements and costumes. Which also shows that she is more than just a great singer and dancer. She’s a leader and a visionary who doesn’t mind putting in the hard work to achieve a desired result.
When we look at “Homecoming”, we see the result of self-discipline, sacrifice, hard work, practice, etc. Beyoncé and crew did not just get to that epic performance overnight. When she started to prepare for the show after giving birth, she didn’t even feel comfortable enough to freestyle and make the dances her own. We saw the end result at Coachella, but it took lots of hard work to get there.
Beychella happened 22 years into Bey’s career. If you want to accomplish anything great in life, you have to be willing to do what it takes (all the behind the scenes preparation and hard work) to get there.
Many of us follow our favorite celebrities and influencers on social media, and help them obtain and maintain their wealth by purchasing their various products, even if we actually can’t afford it. I want to encourage you to start taking a closer look at who you admire and follow, to see if they ever take the time to give back to you as well.
Be careful of following people who only show you the mansions, cars, jewelry, lavish vacations, latest designer wear, etc., without giving you any glimpse into the sacrifices it took to get there or stay there. Be selective of your time and your money, and start investing in things that are going to help you succeed and be better in life in some way.
We all can’t be Beyoncé. She has gifts and talents that most of us will never have, but we all have our own gifts and talents that we can be great in and dominate our respective fields in. We all can’t be Beyoncé, but we can be (insert your name here)! The best at what we are called and created to do.
FLOURISH Queens!!