Things I learned from Frank Underwood of House of cards
Regardless of the infamous Netflix and chill slang, Netflix remains a very good source of entertainment for most of us. One tv series though was for me a root for inspiration throughout my life. It’s House of cards.
The series about Frank Underwood, a Democrat appointed as the secretary of state. Along with his wife, he sets out on a quest to seek revenge on the people who betrayed him while successfully rising to supremacy. And while Kevin Spacey was removed from the series in the last season after his legal troubles, his character Frank Underwood remains one of the powerful, iron-fisted characters in the history of American TV. Not for his thirst for power, but for the determination and execution that follows it.
P.S: I tried to stay clear of any spoilers, so you can read the article with a clear conscious ;)
1. Circle of influence
“ Power is a lot like real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value.”
This one speaks for itself, it doesn’t matter how many people you know if you don’t know the right ones ! don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we should always be careful picking up friends or meeting new people, but it’s necessary to have connections in the right places. An easy-to-digest example would be something we could all live at work. Pitching an idea to the manager or the CEO has always better echo and value than doing the same to a bunch of interns with no influence whatever. That sounds cruel I know, but that’s how life goes.
2. Useless pain
“There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that’s only suffering. I have no patience for useless things.”
Life is full of setbacks. Shielding behind pain and anger can do only harm. Overcoming those and tunneling it into motivation on other hand will make us stronger, better persons, which could be so defining in our lives. That’s something I mastered from a tender age. That quote from Frank Underwood only put it in nice words and serves as a reminder each time I got hurt or disappointed.
3. Promises
“The nature of promises, Linda, is that they remain immune to changing circumstances.”
I rarely make promises, part of that is because I don’t want to be in a situation where I have to break them due to a new entring parameter. Promises can be a burden on shoulders, so I keep their number as small as possible.
4. Love
“I love that woman more than sharks love blood.”
Frank and Claire represent the perfect couple, not because they stayed married for a long time, but for their understating of each other, for their sacrifices, and most importantly, their shared goals and commitment. That is the real definition of love. A big contrast of the version that is portrayed in entertainment and advertising.
5. Fate
“If you don’t like how the table is set, turn over the table.”
We complain about things that were set on our paths, and most of the times, we do nothing about them, we can find excuses as fast as the movement of the lips used to declare them. Meanwhile, with determination only, we have the upper hand to change what is set for us. making the required actions and stop crossing hands and hoping for the best, or in Frank Underwood’s own words, turning over the table :)
