Jamie Foxx: Life Lessons from His Grandmother

Jamie Foxx got his personal style from his granny Estelle Marie Talley.

It's not just that she taught him how to read before he was in kindergarten. She also taught him about life's major priorities.

 "I remember she made me play piano for 30 minutes a day when the other kids were out there playing football.

"I said, 'Grandma, this is crazy,'" Foxx recalls. "She said, 'Think long range. Maybe you will develop.'"

Foxx went on to win an Oscar for playing music legend Ray Charles."

"How great that I win an Oscar because of my grandmother," he says.

He is happy to share Jamie Foxx's Keys to a Good Life: 

*Respect your elders.

Foxx says that even when your elders are tough on you in midlife that you have to keep that level of respect from childhood at a maximum level.

"My grandmother was the one who was always there for me, but she was tough," he says. "There was no running around. No sassing her. No disrespect. She didn't understand a lot of things, but she understood respect."

"I think you have to respect the next generation," he says. "Their lessons are timeless ones and you should listen to them."

"I'll never forget that my grandmother would tell me to stand up straight. Put your shoulders back. Act like you got some sense. We would go places. And I would wild out. And she would say, 'Act like you've been somewhere.'

"It's good advice…even now," he says.

*Follow your intuition …at any age.

"When I was growing up in Terrell, Texas, I felt that it was not where I was supposed to be. I think that the minute I was born, there was something inside telling me where I would go," he says. "I think you really have to listen to that gut feeling to find your destiny. And you can do that at every age.

What is your gut telling you that you should do today? Move to a new city? Start a new business? Meet new people. Listen to your gut."

*Lend a hand when you can – a big hand or a small one.

These days, Foxx has executive produced a new documentary called "Thunder Soul" set in the 1970s and about a teacher in Houson's Kashmere High School where charismatic band teacher Conrad "Prof" Johnson takes a lackluster jazz band and turns them into a funk powerhouse. Some 35 years later, they pull a "Mr. Holland" on him, get out their dusty old instruments and stage a tribute to the 92-year-old Prof who defined their lives.

 "It's such a great story. I remember watching it for the first time in my office and tears were rolling down my face. At the same time, I was laughing and dancing. It was a powerful experience that I'm helping to get it out there the same way Oprah did with 'Precious,'" he says. "The point is you have to find what you deem worthy in life and then help those people get their message out.

"We're here to help each other," he says.

*Find your inner creative spirit – and help others find their creative outlet.

"Budget cuts might mean there isn't a high school band," he says. "I feel that someone has dropped the ball. What happened to the idea that a kid could pick up a violin or a drumstick and get the opportunity to find their own self-esteem?

"I was involved in the high school band, but it was a different time when I was coming up. Back then, we were lucky because there was an emphasis on music and the arts in education. It's sad for me to see how now there are kids who don't even get one music class a week.

Sure, not every kid is going to turn out to be Mozart or Miles Davis. But a music program in a school gives kids hope. Maybe it gives another kid a spark. It gives kids new friends, pride and discipline."

"As the older generation, we have to work to get the arts back into our schools."

*Feel the accomplishments in the small moments.

"I remember the first time in school when I blew into a trumpet and got a sound. Wow! Accomplishment! I'm not Chuck Magione, but I knew if I could do this then I could accomplish much more," he says.

*Dispense your best life advice to your kids…even if they won't want to hear it.

"My daughter is actually 17 now. Can you believe it? When did that happen? She's a beautiful little girl who is growing up. As a Dad, I deal with all the regular stuff. Ain't nothing changes. Dads just have to teach their girls how to protect themselves at all times. I tell her, 'Save a little love for yourself. Don't give all your love away.' Girls love to hard and you hear, 'Daddy, I can't go on….' I say, 'Save some love for yourself.'"

*And then back off a bit?

"Am I a cool father. There are times when I have to drop the Jamie Foxx stuff. I have to put Jamie Foxx away so he doesn't overshadow her and what she needs and wants to do.

"Of course, I do use Jamie Foxx for good stuff like getting her Justin Bieber tickets. Then Daddy being Jamie Foxx is all good. Otherwise, there are times when I gotta back up and shut up."

READ OTHER EXCLUSIVE STYLE GOES STRONG CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS:

Unsolved Beauty Mysteries

Padma Lakshmi Dishes on Style and "Top Chef" 

What Do You Know Now: Laura Dern

Stevie Nicks Rocks On

Change Your Age: A New Book Helps You Look Younger, Feel Better