I wanted to hate it.

There were moments where I was ready to walk away - frustrated by the madness of it all.

But in the end - I came to really love it!

Game of Thrones.

The cultural phenomenon and incredibly successful TV show that is worth watching for what it can teach us about change, human emotions, betrayal and of course (the price of) success…

The show has a huge cast, dozens of twists and turns, intricate plot lines and characters people loathe and love.

In case you’ve missed out on the unique blend of sex, blood, and dragons, you still have a couple of weeks to catch up before the show's highly anticipated—and final—return lands later this month.

From acts of selfless bravery to truly wicked evil; the shows huge success (with over 30M viewers per episode and over 200 awards) takes viewers through a wide gamut of emotions - manipulating the viewer to feel…

Anticipation

Excitement

Confusion

Dread

Surprise

Stress

Anger

And elation!

Plus many more.

At the heart of the action, the unseen force behind the consequences that befall many of the shows characters is Lord Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger.

Littlefinger is a master manipulator, schemer and adept at deception.

A man who came from humble beginnings and through blind ambition and work acquires tremendous power, wealth and success.

Holder of secrets, commander of forces, treasurer of the crown’s coin.

Littlefinger is dangerously intelligent, cunning and totally unscrupulous.

A character fans love to hate – that is worth learning from!

For example, take Season 6, Episode 10 where he shares a key to how he has been so successful.

We get a glimpse in to his decision strategy when he reveals to Sansa Stark:

“Every time I’m faced with a decision, I close my eyes and see the same picture (his desired end goal - to sit on the Iron throne).

Whenever I consider an action, I ask myself, will this action help to make this picture a reality?

Will it pull it out of my mind and into the world?

I only act if the answer is yes.”

Imagine if every decision you took about…

…where to place your attention

…what actions to take

…how you use your time etc.

was filtered through this simple, yet powerful strategy?

What difference would that have on your life?

On how much more focused you'd be on achieving your goals.

It’s a useful decision heuristic to play with.

Just keep in mind when your goals involve taking a coveted throne – you need to keep in mind, two other factors which littlefinger shares in Season 7.

Watch them for yourself below.

Then ask, what do I need to add to the end of the above strategy to make it even more powerful and complete?

Ask yourself when is the next time I will implement this.

Learn from everyone.  Just because you’re watching TV doesn’t mean you can’t also be learning. Success leaves clues… everywhere.

Share this article: