Life Lessons TV Has Taught Me...Part 1

TV is a massive part of my life and as such I probably get most of my advice from it...these are some of the more serious things I've taken from it and try to life my life by.

Running away from your problems doesn’t end well.

“You can run away from your problems, but you’re just gonna find new ones that pop up.”

New Girl, 1x16

New Girl has taught us many lessons since it began airing, but honestly, if it’s taught me anything it’s that you can run away from all your problems but they will, without a doubt, come back to haunt you. Whether it’s something you know needs to be said but you avoid it and avoid it until it just comes bursting out, or procrastinating with uni work and leaving it all until the day before; it’s just going to come back with a vengeance isn’t it? So, the life lesson here: deal with the things that are thrown at you, you’re gonna come out the other side of it feeling better, knowing that this thing can’t eat away at you anymore.

Take things day by day, otherwise you will actually go crazy. 

 "Just put one foot in front of the other. Just get through the day."

Grey’s Anatomy, 7x05

Sometimes just doing that is difficult but a lot of the time surviving one day can change your whole outlook; having a bad day can literally make you feel like the world is ending but often getting to the end of that day and knowing that tomorrow is a new day changes everything. So, putting one foot in front of the other, as hard as it seems, is a way of muddling through the bad days, surviving, and emerging triumphant, because life doesn’t seem so terrifying when you know you can do it. Guys, if Meredith Grey can survive everything Shonda Rhimes has thrown at her, we can get through the day.

Be yourself and own it.

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”

Game of Thrones, 1x01

Could it have been phrased more perfectly? Be yourself, forgive yourself of your flaws and embrace who you are, because no one else will. There are always things that we feel insecure about, that sit in the back of your mind but let’s be honest; the people who even think about using these things to make you feel bad shouldn’t even be in your life.  Okay, so this quote was intended for Jon Snow to accept his role as Ned Stark’s bastard but we can adapt it for our lives, right?

It’s perfectly okay to be an introvert.

“This ridiculous accusation about her being a loner and how that's somehow something bad.”

Gilmore Girls, 2x07

Loner. Introvert. Bookworm. What is it about these words that give them bad connotations? So you enjoy your own company, you like spending time with your thoughts or reading about the adventures of other people, so what? Some people enjoy being surrounded by others but some of us just like to delve in to books or TV or movies; we simply feel more comfortable in these other worlds. Which is not to say we don’t have friends, or don’t love to spend time with them, but guys, just because you’re not an outgoing person does not mean there is something wrong with you. If Rory Gilmore taught me one thing, it’s that being an introvert doesn’t mean you’re shy; you’re just excited by other things. Embrace being an introvert, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Dreams can come true.

“Believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.”

One Tree Hill, 6x24

Cliché, yes. But also true. From the smallest dreams like the food you’ve been thinking about all day still being in the fridge when you get home, to your choice of university, to that promotion you really want, dreams can come true. One Tree Hill was a show that touched on many subject and one of them was hard work. Work for what you want, and you’ll reach your goal; your dream will come true, whether it’s to become famous, or to establish yourself in a career or to have a family, you’ll get there if you work for it.

Books are powerful.

“You want weapons? We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!”

Doctor Who, 2x02

The lessons taught by books stick with you; you learn from the mistakes of others and come out the other side with wisdom, knowledge and experience. Here, the Doctor teaches us that all these lessons we’ve learned from our adventures in books can culminate into weapons. Okay so I wouldn’t take this literally and set the books on fire or anything but these lessons, those about life, about love and about friendship, are ultimately some of the most powerful lessons ever to be taught.

Give it your all.

“Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”

Parks and Recreation, 4x16

Pretty straightforward really. Splitting your attention between too many different things can lead to mistakes and screw ups, but also just really exhaust you. Giving something your all can make you feel like you’re on top of the world once it’s all said and done, no matter the outcome, because you know without a doubt that you “whole-assed” it guys. Ron Swanson is a big believer in giving your all to the task at hand; his task being the get the smallest amount of government work done, from the inside.  In other words, just do what Ron says.  

Part 2 to follow...