10 life lessons we all should take from the strong Game of Thrones leading ladies

When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die...

1/11

The premiere episode of Game of Thrones Season 7 airs on 17^th July, and although we moaned about waiting a year for it, I think we all needed this time to reflect. I don't wish to recall all the horrors but I do need to remind you all about poor old Margaery being blown to smithereens, little Tommen coolly stepping off his balcony, and how Arya should never pursue a career in baking. Eesh.

Season 6 was all about girl power; so to ease us into the forthcoming winter, for winter is already here, let’s recap on 10 important life lessons that we’ve learnt from the strong women of Westeros and Essos.

 

Image: Instagram/_got_fanatics

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"If we die, we die, but first we’ll live" - Ygritte

2/11

There’s a reason why those words Ygritte uttered so tenderly to Jon Snow made us all weep like babies. Not only were those two just so damn perfect for each other, but also her words struck a chord with all of us.

We may not be brandishing spears and draped in fur pelts, but just like the wildlings, we should concentrate on living life to the full, fighting for what we believe in, because (depending on your beliefs), we’re only on this Earth once. Better make it count.

 

Image: Instagram/gameofthrones_n1

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

 

"The occasional kindness will spare you all sorts of trouble down the road." - Cersei Lannister

3/11

What are these? Kind words from Cersei?? You may not believe it, but as Tyrion succinctly points out, her one redeeming quality is that she loves her children. That, and her cheekbones.

In rare moments when she’s not slagging off Margaery or calling for her cup-bearer, Cersei can be seen giving some well-thought out advice to her kids, like this snippet of wisdom to Joffrey. You never know when you might need a favour or good deed from someone else, and showing someone kindness even when there’s no immediate gain for you, may just come back around one day. As we know, things didn’t work out so well for Joffbags though….if only he’d listened to mom.

 

Image: Instagram/supreme_miii

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"Oh wait… I just realised… I don’t care" - Sansa Stark

4/11

Queen of the one-liners, Sansa Stark’s sass is just as cutting as Arya’s needle. Despite her near-betrothal to sadistic slimebag Joffrey, she holds her head high and doesn’t fail to get a cutting quip in conversation every so often, no matter how many times she’s made to kiss ‘Heart Eater’.

So it’s no wonder that she has no patience for people, like Septa Mordane who seems to catch her on a bad day and experiences just how much Sansa doesn’t care. Thanks Sansa, for teaching us it’s okay to be a little bit rude sometimes, but mainly to keep our heads screwed on and also humiliate horrible people like Joffrey with passive-aggressive one-liners.  Whilst being passive-aggressive is not okay on the daily, it IS okay directed at those who are of Joffrey level-evil. So perhaps not directed towards your boss or your mother? Just a suggestion. 

 

Image: Instagram/sashayshauntexostudio

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"I’m not going to stop the wheel, I’m going to break the wheel" - Daenerys Targaryen

5/11

Fierce feminist and all-round badass, what hasn’t Dany taught us about how to be strong women? Rising from her brother’s attempt to control and pawn her off for his own power, she made the air-punching transformation from meek maiden into full-on firecracker.

Certain that she is the true heir of the Iron Throne, she sets her heart on what she believes and won’t stop until she gets it. Despite starting out as an underdog, she’s gone from owning three dragon eggs to leading her own unsullied army, single-handedly raising three hot-tempered dragons, and winning over the respect of the equally hot-headed Dothrakis.

Sometimes things don’t just need to stop, they need to be completely re-invented. With a little fire and determination, we can change things for the better, no matter how unattainable they may seem. Thankfully, you don’t even have to eat a raw stallion heart to be a success - I mean, it helps, but taking note is enough.

 

Image: Instagram/doctify

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"It’s not an easy thing admitting to yourself what you really are" - Margaery Tyrell

6/11

Putting her insatiable quest and ultimate motive to become queen aside, Margaery’s words still teach us a valuable lesson. We know her a little too well to suspect she didn’t really mean this in her exchange with the High Sparrow, but all the more reason to use it as a life lesson, seeing as her plan literally blew up in her face and all.

Sometimes you can veer off the path or do things you know aren’t entirely right. The important thing is being able to take an occasional long, hard look at yourself, admitting you were wrong, and changing for the better.

 

Image: Instagram/wendybrandesjewelry

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"All my life men like you've sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust." - Brienne of Tarth

7/11

She’s taken a fair few knocks in her time, being taunted and laughed at for her masculine demeanour, taken hostage, and of course, let’s not forget about that time she was thrown into a bear pit. But despite her ‘lady’ status as sole heir of Lord Selwyn Tarth, she doesn’t let this shape who she is. Instead, she does quite the opposite by picking up a sword, proving her worth by slaying some men down like an absolute badass, and becoming a Kingsguard, despite not even having a knighthood.

In essence, she shows us that you should never let gender discrimination hold you back, instead just do a damn good job and prove them all wrong.

 

Image: Instagram/your_battles

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"Once the cow’s been milked, there’s no squirting the cream back up her udders, so here we are to see things through" - Olenna

8/11

You can always rely on Lady Olenna Tyrell to say things how they are. Possibly the hippest granny on the planet, she’s even down with grandson Loras’ ‘sword-swallowing’ as she so bluntly puts it.

She’s no stranger to having to put up with less than ideal circumstances, with the Tyrell’s having to forge relationships with the Lannisters back before they were, well, all blown up by Cersei’s wildfire. But as she rightly puts it, there’s no going back once that cow’s been milked, so don’t dwell on things – just get on with them.

You can only control what you think now, what you think moving forwards and how to shape your future, not your past. It IS easier said than done but if you make it a habit to train your brain into future positivity rather than past or present negativity, you'll soon see a change in your natural mindset. 

 

 

Image: Instagram/marimindles

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"A bruise is a lesson… and each lesson makes us better." - Arya Stark

9/11

Although this may have been more literal in the brutal world of Westeros, taken in its metaphorical sense, it’s a powerful lesson from young Arya, whose had a pretty bad run of luck over the 6 series so far. First she witnesses the beheading of her father, then loses her family, finds them only to miss them all by an inch as they all get brutally murdered, becomes blind, gets stabbed…. it certainly puts moaning about waiting a year for a TV series into perspective.

But as she expresses in her training, with every scar and bruise, she learns a lesson, which only makes her stronger. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find happiness by dismembering your enemies and baking them into a pie like she did with the Frey kids, but take on all those mistakes and low points in life, and learn from them - you’ll be a better person for it.

 

Image: Instagram/your_battles

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"No fight is hopeless til it has been fought" - Yara Greyjoy

10/11

Preach! Now a queen of the Iron Islands, she’s proved herself as tough as any man, commanding her own ships and even sailing to face sadistic hound-loving villain, Ramsey Bolton to rescue her brother Theon, just to have him scream reeeeeek in her face. Cheers mate.

Head-strong and stopping at nothing, she teaches us how every struggle is worth something. Her mission to retrieve Theon may not have been successful, but how was she to know without giving it a bash? No matter how hopeless something may seem, you’ll never know until you give it a try.

 

Image: Instagram/westerosey

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women

"I’m no ordinary woman, my dreams come true." – Daenerys Targaryen (again)

11/11

It wouldn’t be right to end this without one more from our beloved (and potentially favourite, but we'll never say it out loud) Khaleesi. Lesson here? Don’t be ordinary – strive to be something more, think out of the box, break stereotypes, and maybe just maybe, you’ll make your dreams happen.

 

Image: Instagram/daenerystargaryenkhaleesigr

ALSO READ: How can Game of Thrones help you with your personal loans? Well, quite a lot actually...; Our strength lies within our femininity: We explore the effect of the real life wonder women