With millions of albums sold worldwide, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Grammy awards to her name, and a long list of hits like “I’m a Survivor,” Reba McEntire has a success story for the ages. In other words, if the Happy’s Place star and The Voice Coach is sharing some life advice, you may want to take note.

And that’s exactly what Carson Daly did when the country icon appeared on TODAY in 2023. During their interview, the TODAY co-anchor asked McEntire about a particularly memorable quote in her book, Not That Fancy, that explained why everyone needs “three bones” in life.

Reba McEntire explains why everybody needs these “three bones” to succeed in life

“Wishbone, funny bone, and a backbone. Gotta have all three of those,” McEntire shared on TODAY.

“A little toolkit to have in life,” Daly described it to McEntire, who agreed, “It really is!”

“If you’ve got those three things, you’ve got the determination, the drive, but the humor when things don’t go right,” she explained. “You can kind of dust it off and keep going.”

Year ago, McEntire also opened up about this life advice in a 2012 episode of Oprah’s Master Class, explaining why each bone is “very important.”

“You gotta have goals,” McEntire said of the purpose of having a wishbone. “You set goals for yourself. I always have something to look forward to, I wish for things. I think once you say it out loud and get it out into the universe, you have your helpers and then your subconscious takes over and things work out.”

“Then your backbone is your drive,” McEntire continued. “That helps you to get the fortitude and make it happen.”

As for the funny bone, McEntire said that symbolizes your ability to not take everything too seriously. “You gotta have a sense of humor about things. When things go wrong, you can drive yourself crazy by saying, ‘I got to fix it, I got to make it better.’ And you really kick yourself in your butt sometimes when you things wrong,” she explained. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, you gotta go on with things. Just do better next time.”

As for which bone is the most important to have? “Funny bone, you gotta have a funny bone,” McEntire told Hoda Kotb on TODAY in 2021. “Whether you’re messing up or doing great, you gotta laugh at it and go on.”

Reba McEntire’s father taught her “work hard” and “play hard” in life

In another segment of McEntire’s book, the “Consider Me Gone” singer gave readers a peek at her childhood, growing up in Oklahoma with her three siblings: Alice, Pake, and Susie. Specifically the “rules” her father, Clark McEntire, enforced that ultimately taught them to balance work and fun, shaping her approach to life to this day.

“Daddy didn’t have lots of rules because he trusted us to do the right thing,” McEntire read in an excerpt of her book. “But the few rules he did have were important ones and you would never catch us kids breaking them. #1. Don’t play cards in the daytime. #2. Don’t watch TV in the daytime. #3. Don’t count your money in front of others.”

“The daytime was for work and the evenings were for fun,” she continued. “And I do think that concept still holds true — we work hard and we play hard, not sure about the rest.”