Veteran actress Kim Fields has been working in the entertainment industry since she booked her first gig, a Mrs. Butterworth’s commercial, when she was 8. So she knows a thing or two about the ups and downs that come with the job, including how to handle rejection.

The very talented Fields (she’s also a writer, director, and producer) stopped by Black Enterprise recently to talk about her new book, Blessed Life: My Surprising Journey of Joy, Tears, and Tales From Harlem to Hollywood.

The memoir is filled with the lessons she’s learned over her four decades in Hollywood—from her breakout role as Tootie on The Facts of Life to up-and-coming fashionista Regine on the groundbreaking sitcom Living Single and beyond.

There’s also the wisdom passed down from Fields’ mother, Chip Fields, herself a veteran actress. And anyone who’s ever faced uncertainty at work, had to recover from a professional disappointment, or struggled with how to handle rejection in their career, can relate:

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