7 Lessons I Learned From Watching Shonda Rhimes' Leading Ladies
We can save our money.
There's no need for self-help books or expensive therapy sessions when we have every life lesson we could ever need coming straight from our televisions every Thursday night.
Thanks to Shonda Rhimes and the brilliant actresses who portray the leading ladies of TGIT, free advice and an excuse to drink too much wine have been made possible.
Who better to learn important lessons from than Olivia Pope, Annalise Keating and Meredith Grey?
Nobody. Sorry, Mom.
Here are seven lessons that these women have taught me:
1. Women are strong and can take care of themselves.
If the women of TGIT have taught us anything, it is that women are boss bitches and can handle things on their own.
They can raise kids on their own like Meredith Grey, can solve any problem like Olivia Pope or can control an entire room channeling their inner Annalise Keating.
They don't need a man to take care of business. They handle it on their own.
2. It is okay to fall in love.
Although they don't need a man, they all love their men and that is OK.
Women are allowed to fall in love; it doesn't make us any less strong or take away from our success. It just adds to our happiness.
Contrary to popular belief, just because a woman might have a man or woman in her life that she loves, does not mean she can't be a feminist or be successful.
Meredith Grey did not become any less of a doctor when she fell in love with McDreamy; she just gained a hot husband and regular sex. Embrace the love ladies.
3. Don't let a man stand in your way.
Just because we might be in love does not mean any man should stand in our way of achieving our success and happiness.
Olivia Pope called it quits when she realized Fitz and her sort-of first lady duties were taking too much time away from her own success. We shouldn't have to give up our own life for theirs just because we love them.
Find a balance and make it work. If they love us, they'll understand and want us to shine.
4. Support systems are important.
Whether we're a part of the twisted sisters or surrounding ourselves with a group of law students, it is crucial to have a support system.
We will run into problems that we don't want to solve on our own and asking for help doesn't mean we kick any less ass, it just means that we have awesome friends and family who are willing to help us out.
Show them you appreciate them and be their support system in return.
5. You have to work for what you want.
Our success depends on us. Olivia didn't become DC's top fixer by binge watching the hottest shows on Netflix; she worked her ass off and never stopped going after what she wants.
If we want something, we have to be willing to work for it and get it. If we want to be successful, we can't be afraid of hard work.
6. Stand up for yourself.
On our way to the top, there's bound to be a few people who try to shut us down. We can't let them; we have to speak up and be our own person.
We have to believe our gut and believe in ourselves. Nobody has ever doubted Olivia when she says her gut tells her something.
7. Dance/Drink it out.
If all else fails, drink a bottle of tequila with your person, dance in the sun by yourself or drink some wine with your popcorn and shake all your problems off.
Your worries will be there tomorrow and pushing them off one night won't make your world come to an end.
One night off is needed from time to time and dancing sends endorphins to your brain. So dance.
