Published on May 20, 2013 on Medium
Recently, I’ve had a number of conversations that have involved giving career advice, getting career advice, taking risk, and how dumb Sansa Stark is from The Game of Thrones.
So let’s work backwards. Why doesn’t Sansa stop playing the victim and start playing the “game”? Why get constantly used as a chess piece? By leaving her life in the control of others, she opens herself to world of pain. Escaping from King’s Landing and devising a plan to do so is up to her. Sansa needs to fight or scheme her way out and stop expecting others to come to her rescue. Either she starts making some waves or she’ll continue to be the object that the waves wail on.
Sansa is scared and relatively “safe” in King’s Landing and I think that is why a lot of us can empathize with her. Navigating the “Game of Life” can be a daunting task. In a sea of choice and unknown challenges, what is one to do? My response to that is a quote that has really stuck with me on one of my Pinterest binges:
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
I believe that whatever waves one makes in life, it ultimately will make them more confident and capable of tackling greater challenges in the future and have a deeper understanding of their character.
We’re never in the “perfect” situation to act or take risk but that doesn’t mean you can’t move forward and progress. There is a Chinese adage that I often reflect upon:
骑牛，寻找马
This literally translates to “Ride Cow, Find Horse”. Whether it relates to our careers or personal lives, we want the perfect situation, “the horse”. Though the horse is what we want, sometimes its better to make due with riding a cow to find the horse. It sure is faster than walking.
So moooove along and enjoy the journey riding the cow.
If you have any quotes you love, or any other life advice, please tweet them to me @hua. Thanks!