20 Email Subject Lines That Will Get Opened Every Time

Did you know that 33 percent of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on subject line alone? If you want your email read, you’ve got to get it opened first. Here are twenty powerful headers to try for four different types of email outreach, plus a few helpful tips for creating subject lines that work.

Networking

Met you at [event]. Let’s connect!

If you’ve met your contact before, and you’re convinced they’d remember the meeting favorably, it’s always helpful to bring it up

Aspiring [profession] seeking advice from the best

Is there someone in your desired industry that you admire? Flattery will often get an email opened.

[Referrer name] recommended I get in touch

A referral will often get you in the door, so don’t be afraid to name-drop right from the subject line.

[Topic] is a passion of mine, too!

You’ve scoured your contact’s blog and social channels and discovered that you both have an interest in hockey. This is fate! Break the ice (ha ha) by referring to a common interest.

Fellow [university] alum looking to connect

If you went to the same college, even if your paths never crossed, use a little school spirit to get a foot in the door.

Sales and Marketing Pitches

X ideas to help you with [problem]

We humans like numbers. Email subject lines with numbers are opened more often. Drop a number, and then offer to give your contact help with some challenge and you’re likely to catch their attention.

How to [accomplish a task]

Let’s say you’re offering customized meal plans. A subject line like “How to become an awesome cook in one week” is sure to get attention.

Only three spots left in [topic] workshop

Tell people that a deadline’s coming up and most of them just shrug. Oh, well. If I miss the deadline, it’s whatever. Tell them there are only three spots left (or twenty-four hours left to save $100, or only four magical squirrel catapults left in stock) and FOMO kicks in. We’re competitive creatures, and no one wants to miss out.

3 out of 4 people are deficient in this mineral. Are you?

Subject lines that create curiosity are infinitely clickable. Don’t you want to know what mineral you’re likely to be deficient in? (We don’t know, either. We made it up. That’s not the point.) If you can make your recipient curious to find the answer to something, you’re more likely to get them to engage.

Introducing [product], a better way to [accomplish a task]

People are curious about new things. Campaign Monitor discovered that emails with “introducing” or “new” in the subject line increased the chance of the email being opened by 9.45% and 3.26% respectively.

Content Promotion

Do not commit these epic Twitter fails

This subject plays off the curiosity gap, but it also suggests that the recipient might be making some critical errors, which makes it a must-open email.

My biggest [topic] mistake

We want to read confessional content. If we’ve made similar mistakes, then we’re reassured that we’re not alone. If we’ve avoided the mistake, we feel grateful. It’s a win-win.

28 ways to get organized right now

Again, we’re using numbers. If the content you’re promoting uses a numbered format, then use that in your subject line. People respond to numbers, and they like tips, too!

What you must know to protect yourself from identity theft

Any time you tell your recipient that there may be a gap in their knowledge, you encourage them to open your email to find out more.

I wrote this for you

Okay, it’s a bit gimmicky, but email subject lines like this work. They feel personalized. Just make sure you deliver some intimate, compelling content or you’ll lose your reader’s trust.

Asking for Something

Spare five minutes to give your expert feedback?

We like to be thought of as experts. We like to know that our opinions matter. Asking for feedback is often fairly easy. Reminding your contact that your request will only take five minutes helps it seem manageable.

I would really appreciate your help with [subject]

Not everyone wants to be helpful, but most people do like to be appreciated. Ask for help in a polite, straightforward way that expresses gratitude.

Urgent call for volunteers. Are you in?

Saying that you have an urgent need alone might do the trick, but adding a call to action right in your subject header can stir a more immediate response. The question “Are you in?” subtly implies that others are and urges the recipient not to miss out.

What are you doing Friday night?

Okay, so, maybe you’re going to ask your recipient to do something they’d rather not, like answer phones at the telethon or stay late to help with a special project. But you’ve got to get them to open your email plea first. This subject line is just vague and intriguing enough to do the trick.

Would you share this story on your social channels?

People often make the mistake of burying their ask so deeply in their email that the recipient isn’t even sure what they’re asking for. This type of subject header cuts straight to the chase and tells the recipient exactly what you want.

Subject Header Tips

• Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver. If your subject header promises to offer twenty great tips for starting a ferret farm, your email had better point to a website with those tips. Otherwise, you’ll lose trust.
• Keep it short. Although 65-character-long email headers do seem to result in opens, it helps to be aware of the issues longer headers may cause. People read emails on their mobile phones, where a subject line over 25 to 30 characters may be truncated.
• Avoid filler words and phrases. Your space is limited. Use it wisely!
• Don’t use all caps or excessive punctuation. When you use all caps online, you look like you’re shouting! No one likes to be shouted at. Excess punctuation (like multiple exclamation points or question marks) looks amateurish and desperate. Both all caps and over-punctuating can also trigger spam filters.
• Speaking of spam filters . . . here are some of the best ways to avoid them.

Yes, Branding Yourself Is More Important Than Ever

You’re awesome. You know it. People close to you know it. But does your professional community know it?

When you think about it, your personal brand is already out there in the world. You’re reminded of that every time you Google yourself. (C’mon. You know you do it.) At a minimum, you’re likely to see your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles prominently featured. That’s a start.

But developing a killer personal brand is an important tool for fine-tuning your professional image. It allows you to manage how other people in your industry see and relate to you. It can help you position yourself as a go-to expert, a freelancer people want to hire, or a specialist that people will want to buy from. Personal branding puts you in control of the image you project.

Four People with Killer Personal Brands

So, what does personal branding look like in action? Here are just a few examples of people whose personal brands are crushing it.

Pat Flynn

Pat Flynn made a name for himself with a can’t-lose niche, which he dominates with an awesome domain—smartpassiveincome.com. He’s branded himself “the crash test dummy of online business” by sharing the results of his income experiments in published monthly reports.

Erika Napoletano

Writer, performer, and TEDx speaker Erika Napoletano shares the messy parts of her life one ultra-real moment at a time. Her website, ErikaNapoletano.com, features her no-holds-barred signature style.

Seth Godin

Just perform a Google search for the word “Seth” and your very first result will be Seth Godin’s massively popular website. Godin, an entrepreneur, marketer, speaker, and best-selling author, takes personal branding to the next level at SethGodin.com.

Jenny Lawson

Best-selling author Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) carved out a niche for herself by being both hilarious and brutally honest about her struggles with physical and mental illness. Through her humor and relatable stories, she’s built a massive, loyal following.

Six Steps to Building Your Own Personal Brand

We know personal branding is important, and what the websites of a few people who are rocking their brand look like. Now, here are some steps for creating a brand presence of your own.

1 Know thy competition and find thy niche.

Who are you? It’s a tough question for most people to answer, but it’s important to give it thorough consideration before you start building your personal brand. Take a look at others who’ve been successful in the same field. How are you unique? You won’t get far by trying to be the next Seth Godin or Jenny Lawson, so how can you be the best you?

2 Get specific about your strengths.

What do people value about you? Dig into the specifics of what you do best. Let’s say you’re trying to build your brand as a talented writer. There are plenty of talented folks doing the exact same thing. What is it about your writing that stands out? It might be that you have a personable, conversational style that people relate to. Narrow your focus to what you do best in your area of expertise, and then highlight your specific strengths as you’re forging your brand presence.

3 Figure out your brand attributes.

What adjectives do you want people to use to describe you and what you do? It’s important to know this upfront so you can infuse your website and social media efforts with your style. Erika Napoletano is a great example of someone who has made the best of her personal attributes. Everything about her site, from her photos to her blog, reflects her brash, irreverent personality. What is it about you that you want people to notice?

4 Streamline your social media presence.

You can’t be all things to all social media channels. Choose a few that work best for your niche, and then post to those channels regularly. Think of posting to social media as “feeding” your audience. Keep them nourished.

Building your social media presence is about choosing the audiences you’ll connect with. Don’t choose a channel just because it’s hot or growing, pick something with major trends you can relate to. For example, don’t join Snapchat unless you’re prepared to overshare, and don’t join Instagram if you hate photography.

—Celeste Mora, Social Media Manager, Grammarly

5 Consider a portfolio website with your full name as the domain.

What do you want people to discover when they search Google for your name? They may encounter your (mostly private) Facebook profile or an obscure post you made on Yahoo Answers ages ago. You can take some control over how people perceive your personal brand by registering your own name as your domain, and then maintaining a website featuring your portfolio.

6 Network.

Building a personal brand won’t get you anywhere if you don’t share it. Get out there! If you’ve built a website, consider having business cards made with your domain and other contact info. Go to professional networking events. Engage others in your field on social media. Comment on blogs. Reach out via email to forge connections. When you make an effort to get to know people, they’ll be more likely to want to know more about you.

Don’t just build, maintain.

Once you’ve established an online presence, you’ve got to maintain it. Keep your website current. Make regular posts to social media and don’t forget to interact with your audience. The most difficult part of building your brand isn’t necessarily establishing it, but continuing to build it without letting it languish.

Now that you’re out there in the world, don’t sit still! Remember that your personal brand has given you a platform for sharing yourself and your accomplishments with the world.

4 Memorable Quotes from Larry David That Will Make You Think

Comedy lovers rejoice! After a six-year hiatus, Larry David’s acclaimed comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm is returning to HBO on October 1 for its much-anticipated ninth season.

Not familiar with the irascible Larry David? Larry got his start doing stand-up in the 1970s and was briefly a writer for SNL. But he’s best known as the true genius (and head writer and executive producer) behind the beloved ’90s sitcom Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows of all time.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (in which Larry plays a fictionalized version of himself) has also enjoyed its share of accolades, including two Emmy Awards (out of thirty-nine nominations), and a Golden Globe Award (with five nominations).

We’d say that’s pretty, pretty, pretty good.

via GIPHY

So today we’re celebrating the return of Curb with some creative wisdom from Larry David himself.

1Prioritize Your Own Standards

via GIPHY

To be honest . . . I think the only thing that really worked in my favor, is that right from the beginning I really didn’t [care] whether or not [Seinfeld] was a success. That’s not to say I didn’t want to do good work, but I wasn’t about to let myself be judged by network standards. When you’re not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom.

Despite pressure from NBC to play it safe, Larry chose to stay true to himself and his vision and make the art he wanted to make. Instead of pandering to the bureaucratic overlords, he chose to create something that he was personally proud of, regardless of its reception.

By removing the pressure to achieve, and setting his creativity loose, he was able to create something which brought joy to hundreds of millions of viewers.

2Don’t Be Afraid To Go There

via GIPHY

On some viewers’ surprising response to Curb Your Enthusiasm:

. . . people told me after the show started airing that they had to leave the room for some scenes because they were cringing and they couldn’t bear to watch — it was like a horror movie — I had no idea it was having that effect on people.

That was a complete surprise to me, and I liked it. I liked that they couldn’t see it. But I never really gave it that much thought. I was just trying to do funny shows. I never felt I was going too far. I felt I was doing what I wanted to see.

If you’ve seen Curb, you’ll know just how painfully cringeworthy some scenes are. But even after Larry discovered his show was having this effect on people, he didn’t tone down what he was doing to make his audience more comfortable; he continued to push the envelope.

Not everyone will understand, appreciate, or be comfortable with the art you make—and that’s okay. Do the work you want to do. Your audience is out there!

3Push Your Creative Boundaries, Even When It’s Hard

via GIPHY

When I drove home every day, because we were improvising it, I’d think, “Would this scene be better if I’d written it?” And 98 percent of the time, I’d thought “No.” It was better improvised. You could just get to places that you couldn’t get to writing.

But the editing is really hard. Compared to a written show, where you’re doing two to three takes and they’re all the same. For this show, every take is different.

The dialogue of Curb Your Enthusiasm is mostly improvised by the actors (instead of scripts, Larry writes outlines for the show), and the results are hilarious. The process of getting to the final product may be difficult, but it’s absolutely worth it.

4Your Perspective Can Be a Game Changer

via GIPHY

On Larry’s conversation with Jerry Seinfeld where they came up with the idea for Seinfeld:

We were in a grocery store and talking about the different products on the shelves. And we were making each other laugh. Then we both realized that this is the kind of dialogue we never really heard on television, or even movies, for that matter.

Chances are many of your favorite TV shows and movies have dialogue that sounds natural, and may even sound similar to how you talk with your friends. But before Seinfeld hit the airwaves in 1989, that was rarely the case, and a show celebrating the minutiae of everyday life was unthinkable.

Just like Larry and Jerry realized there was something missing in entertainment, you might also see gaps in your field that no one else has filled before. You may feel like an outsider because of your perspective, but this can also be your strength if you’re willing to act on it.

Need to catch up on Curb? The first eight seasons are available to stream on Amazon Prime!

via GIPHY

A Colossal List of Creators to Inspire Your Writing

Whether you write novels, blogs, marketing content, news articles, movies, social media posts, transcripts for podcasts, or something that we don’t even know about yet, you probably sometimes feel the need for inspiration. Maybe you could use some tips on reaching a wider audience. If you work freelance, maybe you’re in search of some ideas for expanding your business. Or perhaps you’re in the market for a new set of skills—web design, marketing strategy, new media, you name it.

Lucky for you, this list has it all. Grammarly hunted down all the best blogs about writing inspiration, writing as a job, writing fiction, and working with social media, content marketing, journalism, and design—plus a few bonuses about creativity in general. So put on your thinking cap, get ready to get creative, and browse away.

All Writers

Whatever type of writing you do, here’s a place to get started. These blogs offer general inspiration, advice for being a content writer full-time, and tips for getting started on whatever you’re working on.

This Pinterest About Inspiration Quotations, writing prompts, synonyms for blah words like “very” and “nice,” and tips on character, structure, plot, and much more. It’s Pinterest: if you want to know something, you’ll find it.

Freelance Writers Online This well-organized blog by a full-time freelance writer has tips on how to make the gig work as a career, plus ideas for marketing yourself, creating a portfolio, and the art of writing. Bonus: here’s a collection of 5 TED talks on storytelling, creativity, and writing in general.

Write to Done This site is organized by advice about fiction (character arcs, target audiences, and exercises to boost your creativity), nonfiction (blogging, boosting traffic, making money), marketing for writers, and tips that could be useful for pretty much everyone.

Live Write Thrive A copyeditor’s guide to getting your writing going. A low-key WordPress-type affair, the site includes resources for writers and inspiring to-dos. For example, look at something green or blue—colors that apparently help boost creativity.

ProBlogger This is a blog about blogging full-time. Meta, isn’t it? It has advice and ideas organized into eight areas, including getting started, creating content, finding readers and community, making the big bucks, productivity, and getting clients. Those categories are sorted in a handy side tab, and you can find more resources up top.

Fiction Writers

If you’re an aspiring fiction writer, check out these blogs for writing prompts, refining your plots and characters, polishing your style, and getting published.

Now Novel Characters, plots, settings, beginnings, endings, the very principles of storytelling—Now Novel delivers all the dirt on writing big books of fiction, and does it in bite-sized bloggy chunks. It’s pretty bare bones as a site, but it has great stuff for helping you get started, and the categories on the right go deeper into specific interests.

The Writer Creative name, we know. For professional writers and wannabe professional writers, The Writer magazine has guidance for improving your writing and getting through problems with the craft, advice for finding audiences and agents, and tips from working authors. The website has resources for getting published and prompts for when you get stuck, too.

DIY Author Take it from the blog authors themselves: “DIY Author exists to educate and empower authors with the knowledge and tools they need to do the work, find an audience, and build a career.” This blog is well organized and chock-full of tips, tools, and techniques you can put into practice, from developing your writing habits to getting published. Plus, there’s a podcast.

Advanced Fiction Writing With the tagline “Successful fiction writing = organizing + creating + marketing,” this blog does not mess around. Be warned: some of the content is behind a paywall. But even the free content can be super useful, whether you’re figuring out how to structure a scene, writing a dog, or creating a whiny character who’s just whiny enough. It could be a bit easier to navigate, but since the focus is on selling a writing technique—one that clearly comes in handy for a lot of people—it’s still worth checking out.

Pictures to Inspire Words Are you the visual type? This is a Pinterest Board of strange and intriguing images that should help get your imagination churning.

Content marketers

Calling all content marketers, bloggers, social media specialists, advertisers, and strategists—this is the place for you. These are the top nine blogs with tips for successful content marketing as well as examples of who does it best. Ranging from the more technical, data-oriented side of marketing to the perfect social media post, these blogs will give you plenty of food for thought, whether you’re building a blog, a business, an audience, or your own portfolio.

Autopilot With case studies, marketing automation expertise, and examples of A/B testing and other forms of marketing research, Autopilot will satisfy your need for data and in-depth analysis. Its sparse layout and focus on case studies and research give Autopilot a sophisticated feel, but it’s still easy to dive into.

ContentWriters This blog’s specialty is general marketing info and how-tos for content strategy, but it also has articles focused on specific industries (medicine, real estate), companies (Airbnb), and tools (Google Analytics). With descriptive titles, previews of articles before you click, and tons of content, this is a great spot for ideas and getting started.

Content Marketing Institute Advice and how-tos for marketing, content, and innovations in creating and executing ideas. There’s a lot of content, but also a lot of organization (tabs at the top, tabs on the side, tabs on tabs on tabs). It’s also very orange.

Copyblogger This blog about copy has info about building an online presence, expanding your business, engaging audiences, and the ins and outs of content marketing. Rather than a more compact list of multiple articles, which is the norm for many content marketing sites, Copyblogger shows the first chunk of an article, with popular articles listed on the right. It can feel a bit clunky if you prefer the dashboard look, but if you like knowing what you’re getting into before you click, this is the format—and the content—for you.

Hootsuite Hootsuite focuses on social media and brand-building, with tips on how to maneuver the gamut of social media platforms. There’s also a section on innovations in tech and the social web. Its Pinterest-like dashboard makes for easy clicking.

Hubspot Hubspot has one of the most granular breakdowns of topics related to sales and marketing (spanning blogging, productivity, office life, sales closing, you name it), plus analysis of trending business strategies and tips for duplicating them. With its scrollable lists of recent posts and comprehensive categorization, Hubspot is indeed the hub for inbound marketing.

Inbound Marketing Blog With sections on inbound marketing, social media, SEO, design, and lead generation, this blog by Inbound Marketing Agents is chock-full of tips, tools, rules, and need-to-knows of online marketing. The thumbnail-arranged articles are digestible and implementable.

Kissmetrics It sounds like it counts how many smooches are given on a daily basis, but this is a marketing blog about analytics and optimization. Because Kissmetrics is an analytics company, it’s got a lot of heavy-duty detail on the numbers end of things, but its blog has useful tips on content creation, too.

Mention Mention has a focus on digital marketing and media monitoring, with articles about strategy, reputation management, writing, and editing. The dashboard layout is neat and easy to navigate, though there are only twelve articles on the homepage. Still, plenty of food for thought.

Journalists

If you want to be a journalist, pick your favorite news source and read it religiously: there’s your model for how to write. If you’re interested in the state of journalism, different reporting styles, and new forms of media, dive into the blogs below.

Advanced Media Institute With its focus on new media, this blog, which is run through the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, has articles (and of course, other forms of media) about video, podcasts, social media, film, mobile and digital media, and visualizing data, stories, and more. With tips, how-tos, and examples, it’s a great portal for exploring non-traditional methods for communicating your ideas.

MediaShift This PBS blog has info about social media, business, education (especially digital education), and articles and tips about digital media in general. And don’t forget the Idea Lab, which is all about the changing face of journalism.

Nieman Lab Covering media analysis, journalism ideas, and examples of reporting in different categories, the Nieman Lab is a useful resource for journalists looking for inspiration or aiming to get into the rights and wrongs of contemporary news.

Old Media, New Tricks Started by a former journalist/news strategist and social media editor/teacher, this blog was built with enough expertise to have plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Categories include blogging, social media sites, and the future of media in general. The design isn’t anything to write home about, but hey, maybe that’s the next trick. Until then, there’s plenty of media to read about.

Society of Professional Journalists Blog This site boasts blogs by professional journalists and writers on issues in contemporary journalism, the changing media, and how information is presented, shared, consumed, and understood. Sounds serious, but it’s a must-read for aspiring journalists.

Designers

Whether you design web tools, user interfaces, buildings, or online content, there’s something for you in these blogs. Most of them focus on UX and web design, but other creative types are sure to find something to chew on here, too.

Canva Canva’s Design School has info ranging from the very general (social media engagement) to the super specific (web banner ads and real estate flyers). The site features articles about design, interactive tutorials, and tips, plus an easily browsable category list if you scroll down. Bonus for nice colors and navigability.

Codrops With its many columns, cards, and categories, Codrops truly looks like a design blog. It’s a great resource for tutorials and tips about trends and methods in web design and development.

The Dsgn Blog Inspiring tidbits, featured designers, quotes of the week, and plenty of material about design for websites, apps, graphics, music, architecture and interior decor (like this weird chair), and more. The sparse but thorough blog also provides a list of other design blogs at the right.

nuSchool The nuSchool blog has tips for gaining clients and making it as a freelance designer. With its emphasis on education, helping you expand your design toolbox, and tips on running a business, this is a key site for freelancers.

Treehouse Treehouse focuses on coding, but it’s also got useful content about the aesthetics of web design. The goal: launching a career that bridges technical knowledge with creativity.

Creatives In General

Any of the above categories—or anyone, really—can find something below. Whether you’re a freelancer, want to inject more creativity into your normal job, or would rather take a break from your desk and read about a cool art thing, these blogs have got you covered.

Creative Boom An online magazine for, by, and about creative types, Creative Boom is excellently designed and overflowing with inspiration. Even if you’re not a visual artist, their content on visual art can help get your creative juices flowing. If you’re not in the mood for a muse, they’ve also got tips and resources for professional freelancers, marketers, and anyone who’s interested.

Hyperallergic This site’s name may make you think of sneezing uncontrollably or possibly breaking out in hives, but its really cool content is basically the opposite of that. A contemporary blog about all things arty, Hyperallergic has posts about artists from around the world (like Bhutanese painters), artistic interpretations of world events (protest photography), and weird artsy things from world history (creepy Victorian-era Christmas cards).

Format Magazine Format Magazine is all about creativity. The online publication features profiles of artists, discussion and education posts, videos, and generally interesting stuff about art, design, music, and creativity. Get ready to get inspired.

Flavorwire This site has you covered on art, books, music, movies, and TV. It has interesting takes on pop culture and quick reads to inspire or distract you—whatever you’re in the mood for.

The Inspiration Room This online “room” is a collaboratively created library of innovations in advertising, photography, print, TV, design, and anywhere else you can think of. Most of the content is from advertising, but the creativity is constant.

There’s plenty more where these blogs come from, but we did our homework, and we think these are the best and the brightest blogs for writers, freelancers, content marketers, journalists, designers, and creatives. Oh, and as far as inspiring blogs go, Grammarly is a pretty great one, too.

How Sally Ride Launched Her Career as the First American Woman in Space

I would like to be remembered as someone who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks along the way in order to achieve her goals.

Did you know May 26 is Sally Ride day?

Sally Ride was an astronaut, physicist, and science educator—and she shattered one of the highest glass ceilings to become the first American woman in space.

Throughout her life she inspired millions and defied gender stereotypes at every turn.

Freedom to Explore

Sally was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and grew up loving science and sports. Her parents encouraged her and her sister to explore, be curious, and pursue their interests even if they were outside the norm. According to Sally’s mom:

[Her father] and I simply forgot to tell them that there were things they couldn’t do. But I think if it had occurred to us to tell them, we would have refrained.

In high school and college, Sally pursued her love of tennis and became a serious player, competing in tournaments at the national level. Tennis legend Billie Jean King encouraged her to drop out of college and pursue a professional career—advice she fortunately did not take.

She stuck with science, in part because of her experience attending an all-girls high school:

It was probably very important to my future. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself. I did well in math in high school, but I didn’t know if I would be able to do well at math in college. At Westlake, it was all girls in the trigonometry, calculus and chemistry classes. That environment gave me the confidence and motivation to declare a physics major in college.

Sally double-majored in physics and English at Stanford, and was a few months away from completing her PhD in physics when she saw an ad in the student newspaper—NASA was looking for astronauts. The moment she saw it, she knew that’s what she wanted to do. Sally ripped the ad from the newspaper and applied that afternoon.

Here’s a tip: Sally’s parents and peers encouraged her to pursue her dreams, regardless of cultural norms. But many of us haven’t had that same encouragement. Maybe you grew up with society or even friends and family telling you there are things you can’t do because of who you are.

Take a moment to consider: Are there negative messages or limitations you’ve internalized? Are there interests, projects, or careers you wish you could pursue but feel are off-limits?

Living Fearlessly

Sally applied to NASA’s astronaut program—along with 8,000 other applicants—and was one of thirty-five selected. For the first time in history, NASA had opened its program to women, and Sally was one of the first six women to join.

In 1978 she began her astronaut training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and quickly fell in love with flying. She worked as a communications officer for mission control for the Columbia STS-2 and STS-3 shuttle flights, and she put her skills as a scientist to work developing a robotic arm for the shuttle to deploy and receive satellites.

Finally, in 1983 she got her chance to fly. She was selected for the crew of the Challenger STS-7 mission and was about to become the first American woman in space.

Sally’s sole focus and passion was on doing her job—she never set out to make history—but her inclusion in the Challenger crew set off a media frenzy. While she experienced the respect and acceptance of her male colleagues at NASA, the media took it upon themselves to bombard her with sexist questions during every interview.

Her NASA training prepared her for space flight—not the pressure of international celebrity. Fortunately a key character quality of astronauts is composure. Sally handled the spotlight with grace and remained unrattled despite the media circus.

The Challenger STS-7 mission was a success, and millions of women and girls around the world were inspired by Sally’s historic achievement.

Here’s a tip: When Sally saw the recruitment ad she didn’t disqualify herself—she just went for it. And she went on to become the first American woman in space. One of the hallmarks of her life was that she lived fearlessly, refusing to let anything hold her back from pursuing her dreams.

Take a moment to consider: Are there ways that you’re holding yourself back, out of fear? Are there dreams that you’re disqualifying yourself from? Writing a book, starting a business, making a career change?

Sometimes when our dreams feel big or unattainable, we psych ourselves out of even trying. What might be possible in your life if you chose to take action despite fear?

6 Commonly Misheard Song Lyrics

You know that embarrassing moment when you’re part of a bar sing-along, and as you confidently wail gibberish lyrics to a classic song, the other patrons turn to look at and silently judge you for being totally clueless? Misheard lyrics, while hilarious, are a sure way to lose your credibility as a music lover. Help prevent a friend or even yourself from ruining a sing-along to a classic hit by finally learning the real lyrics to these often misquoted hits.

“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix

This is one of Jimi Hendrix’s most famous compositions. However, it also contains one of the most commonly misheard lyric lines in history, “… ‘scuse me while I kiss the sky,” which countless listeners have heard as, “…’scuse me while I kiss this guy.” In fact, this misquote is so ubiquitous, it’s the name of a website devoted to misheard song lyrics.

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John 

One of the funniest and strangest misheard lyrics of all time comes from Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” While the music was composed by Sir Elton, the lyrics were written by songwriter Bernie Taupin, who based the title line, “… hold me closer, tiny dancer” on his then-girlfriend. She was a dancer, not a 1980s sitcom star, as suggested by the popular misquote, “… hold me closer, Tony Danza.”

“Royals” by Lorde

Lorde’s Grammy-winning single “Royals” put her at the forefront of American pop music. However, the lyrics of this song have earned a bit more than top-level music recognition. The line, “Let me be your ruler, you can call me queen bee” is the source of one of the funniest musical malapropisms in recent memory. For some, royalty is not about being “queen bee,” but about being a “green bean.”

“Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé

The true Queen B, Beyoncé, churns out so many hits that it’s difficult to keep up with her newest chart-toppers. “Drunk in Love” is one of her biggest in recent memory. Being such a popular club song, the lyrics “I’ve been drinking, I’ve been drinking…” kept club-goers partying all night long. However, some seem to believe that Beyoncé is a bit of a Game of Thrones fan, as “I’m a dragon, I’m a dragon…” is commonly heard in place of the real lyrics.

“Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson

America’s first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, is one of the few winning Idols to have a legitimate music career, and it all began with her first big hit, “Because of You.” Kelly reassured listeners that, “Because of you, I never stray too far from the sidewalk,” but many buffet enthusiasts seem only to hear “Because of you, I never stray too far from the salad bowl.”

“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival 

Creedence Clearwater Revival is the quintessential classic American rock and roll band, and the famously misinterpreted lyrics in their hit song “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” are equally iconic and memorable. The real lyrics say, “It will rain a sunny day; I know, shinin’ down like water,” but the admittedly anachronistic misheard lyrics go a little something like, “It will rain of Sunny-D; I know, China don’t like water.”

While these are some of the more hilarious misheard lyrics out there, we all know that there are countless songs with even more twisted and hilarious translations. Which of these are you most excited to correct your friends and family about next time you hear them belt out the wrong words?