Behind the scenes: 11 Lessons to take the Reins of Your Life Back

 

Sometimes hidden in plain sight are words that fill you with lessons your heart somewhere already knew. From the most ambitious business players to the most lethal survivalists, there is something to learn from every character. Here are the 11 deadly lessons spoken through the words of the characters of House of Cards:

 

1.     IT’S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES AS LONG AS YOU LEARN FROM THEM.

 

Or in the words of Ryan Price, “People learn from their mistakes, don’t you agree?”. As humans, we are not immune to making mistakes, but we certainly have control over the aftermath. Instead of inflicting unnecessary pain and stress over yourself, take a deep breath and take a step back. Analyse. Learn. Practice. Grow.

 So long as you owe up to your mistake and reframe it as an opportunity to learn, you will always grow.

 

2.      LOVE ISN’T COMPLICATED.

 

Maise Blackwell said it best, “… Nothing ever is complicated. We make it that way. Love is the easiest thing. When you promise your love to someone, you also have to keep your promise of being there for them…”.

 It is often easy to lose yourself in complicated relationships in the name of love. Coming from a character that lost herself in a similar way, it’s saying something, isn’t it? Love isn’t about violating boundaries, spending unhappy times with your partner, or feeling drained. Love is supposed to work while you hold hands with your partner to sail through the occasional bumps along the road.

 Uncomplicate love by saying what you want to, stop the judgements, and lift your partner.                       

 

3.      BEING FAITHFUL IS THE BEST WAY TO PROVE YOUR LOVE FOR SOMEONE.

 

Another lesson shared by Maise Blackwell on love and an important one, “Love isn’t meant to be shared between three people.”

 If infidelity has entered the relationship, the all too familiar feelings of anger and devastation now loom over the head. Some mistakes aren’t meant to be looked over. Cheating often shows a lack of respect towards one’s partner. And who would like to stay in a relationship where the partner could stray?

 

4.      IT SHOULDN’T HURT TO BE A CHILD.

 

The lethal survivalist Annie Wintour put the feelings of a child’s hurt in words when she said, “When adults are at war with each other, kids have to grow up too fast.”

 House of Cards is filled with diplomatic mind games that until a generation ago from when the story is set, involved children. From characters like Emma Swain and Ryan Price whose fate was set as a generational employee, or Maise and Rose Blackwell, from whom too much was expected since they were born, or even Wayne Hayes and Annie Wintour were a victim of the games adults played.

 Childhood is supposed to be enjoyable, not a period of learning to hide the hurt. A child’s defencelessness isn’t weakness, to violate it is.

 

5.      BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOU’LL BE UNSTOPPABLE.

 

“You didn’t screw up. You learnt lessons. Some were the hardest you’ve ever learnt, but you’re still standing and you’ll keep standing as long as you’ve faith in yourself.”

-          Ryan Price

Everyone goes through silent battles. Battles that leave scars. So long as you get back on your feet with faith in yourself in your heart, you will be unstoppable. Conquer your limiting beliefs, face your fears, and unlock your inner strength. People and battles can take away everything, but never your trust in yourself.

 

6.      YOUR LIFE ISN’T YOURS IF YOU CARE WHAT OTHERS THINK.

 

Rose Blackwell lived her life on her terms until the last page. So, when she said, “But if all you keep thinking about is what people think, when will you start caring about what makes you happy? Don’t you see, no matter what you do, someone will always have a horrid reaction to it?” she meant it with all her heart.

 If you always keep looking over your shoulder, you are bound to miss the beautiful things right in front of you. To rely on what others will think is to get into trouble. Because it is, then, that we really start losing who we are. And like everyone out there, we also have one life to live, make it one filled with experiences, not regrets.

 

7.      KARMA HAS NO MENU. YOU GET SERVED WHAT YOU DESERVE.

 

While there were too many people in line to hand Wayne Hayes just what he deserved, it took a while. But it was served. As Ryan Price said, “I’ve been waiting for a long time to return [Wayne Hayes] the favour.”

 Karma might be delayed, but it never skips someone. Remember what you put out in the world because things have a way of coming back around.

 

 8.      DON’T PUNCH ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT.

 

Unexpected as it was, Wayne Hayes turned the tide of Sitciny in his favour. However, once he began biting off more than he could chew, he signed his doom. Or, more straightforwardly, put in Ryan Price’s words, “Arrogance will bite him to shreds.”

 Bite off more than you can chew and you’ll end up choking on it.

 

 9.      NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR SUCCESS.

 

None of the players in House of Cards apologized for trying to climb their way to the top. While most used unusual ways, which are definitely not recommended, they didn’t hide behind the façade of sainthood to justify their success.

 After all, in Maise’s thoughts, the truth of Sitciny was, “[But] morality bent to suit yourself was the reality of Sitciny. If everyone wore the mask of sophistry and preached morality here, they’d all be saints. But Sitciny was built on sins. It was where hell and heaven mingled and emerged as authenticity. Vulnerable and open to their deepest desires.”

 If your success was earned by hard work, you don’t have to apologize for it. Being humble and grateful is important, but so is not making excuses for how you earned your success.

 

10.  NEVER INTERRUPT YOUR ENEMY WHEN HE IS MAKING A MISTAKE.

 

Albeit knowing what his wife was doing was as good as digging a hole for herself and others with her, Wayne Hayes sat back and watched. A peep out of him would’ve alarmed Maise, so he let her continue on her plan of doom. For Wayne, the satisfaction of her blunder was a million times better after Maise had seen it through than it would’ve been if he had interrupted her right at the beginning of trying to double-cross him.

 When Maise realised, “It was all Wayne. As always. He was good at putting up a show… Yet he did nothing, said nothing, and showed nothing”, it was already too late.

 

11.  CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. BUT DON’T CHOOSE VERY MANY.

 

What’s worse than showing up on a battle unprepared? Not knowing which battles to walk away from. In life, you might find yourself at a crossroads where you have too many battles to fight. But Maise Blackwell had a tip to give her fellow players, “Let’s not fight all the cases ourselves and take all the hits.”

 Ask yourself two important questions before taking on any battle: Is this really my battle to fight? And would I be able to live with myself in its aftermath?

 

With these 11 deadly lessons from House of Cards, it is time to close the book. But with Quillinary, this is only turning the page and we’ll meet again in the new chapter that awaits. Thank you for being on this journey with all the characters from House of Cards.

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