The Robertson clan must have themselves one heck of a manager or management team. Despite Phil Robertson’s occasional foot-in-mouth comments that could put the family empire in jeopardy, somehow they manage to come out smelling like a rose, riding any controversy right into an even bigger pile of money.
Through all the limelight and attention, the family keeps on hunting, keeps on going to church, and keeps on being who they are.
Lately Sadie Robertson is taking her turn in the spotlight. Her time on Dancing with the Stars is opening the Duck Dynasty clan to a band of audience that might not otherwise tune in to see them on A&E. Sadie insists on holding to her values in terms of modesty in her costumes and dancing.
Now Sadie has released a book, called Live Original: How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps It Real and Stays True to Her Values. Written with Beth Clark, the book aims to “share her outlook on life as she opens up about herself and the values that make her family what it is.”
Right off the bat in Chapter One, Sadie sounds off on a note quite in harmony with “Papaw Phil’s” refrain: Happy, Happy, Happy.
Sadie stresses that she believes that we can choose to be happy, no matter what our circumstances are, if we give atention to what we think about.
“Your thoughts determine your destiny. If you want to get a glimpse of where you are headed in the future, start by looking at what you’re thinking about today… Make up your mind to be happy, because your mind is where happiness begins.”
Sadie knows that she and her family are pretty lucky to have the opportunities that they have. Some might say that it is easy for her to be happy with all that money, fame, and opportunity. But Sadie insists that it is the other way around. The Robertsons were a happy bunch long before the money got good.
“Mamaw Kay and Papaw Phil did not have much money back then, and they definitely were not “famous” like they are today. But they were happy… We saw them love God, love each other, and love our family. We knew from the time we were really young that these things are what make people truly happy.”
She particularly describes family patriarch Phil Robertson as happy, even though some might see him as stern or surly.
“Papaw Phil … is happy because he is totally comfortable with himself, and he has no need to impress anybody. He knows what he believes and he sticks to it, no matter what other people think. He tells the truth exactly as he sees it, and if people don’t like it, that does not bother him. I have never seen him sad or shaken; he is solid. And he’s happy.”
How Sadie was raised works for her and for her family. She may expand her horizons and go on to do huge things, but she says she is happy already. And she knows why.
“All of our family is happy—because our happiness is not based on being on TV or on any of the things that come with it.”