You might have a funny look on your face right now when you think about how many lessons you could possibly learn from a show like Project Runway. Believe me I had the same look, but once you get past the snarky attitude and the idea that those on the show are all trying to be divas, you can see past everything and realize that there are some real lessons to be learned in terms of what it means to lead a life that is fulfilling and successful at the same time. The dim image that some people take of models and those that aspire to be like them is sometimes hard to stomach and at other times easy to join in with since those that do in fact deserve such vitriol make it too easy. But barring that, one needs to take the time to really step back and see that there are many upon many individuals that are doing their best to make a living by using lessons that we can all put to good use.
After all, the modeling business isn’t just about looking good, though this is an obvious byproduct that many people focus on. So let’s see what lessons the show might have reinforced.
5. If you can’t get inspired then find a way.
Many people look at models and think that there’s only a few different ways that things can be done in this industry. From the ways they pose to the way they walk down a runway there doesn’t seem to be a lot of variation. In truth the inspiration that is brought in this kind of business does seem stale at times but it has more to do with the individual than the actual movements they execute. Inspiration is meant to be taken from various different sources, not just one well that can run dry the moment everyone tries to take from it. If you can’t get inspired in one way then attempt to find inspiration in another, and then another if that doesn’t work. Only the unimaginative will ever say that there’s no inspiration to be found, while those that know how to look will be busy trying to make it work for them.
4. Don’t give up your authority but don’t try to abuse it either.
It’s one thing to have authority over another person, but it’s another to use it in the proper way. Just because you have power over someone doesn’t give you the right to lord it over them in a manner that makes them feel small. The real leaders in this world are those that make the people that work for them feel empowered even as they remind them of their place in the order of things. Real authority is working with people, not forcing them to work for you. Those leaders such as you see on the show are successful when they can inspire those that work for them to achieve greatness, and tend to falter when they seek to take all the credit without recognizing the brilliance of those around them.
3. It if won’t work, then make it work.
In any walk of life, be it modeling or shoveling a ditch, if it won’t work the way you want it to then find a way that it will work. The world isn’t going to bow to your whims no matter how much you want it to, you’ll have to find a way to make things work and continue on your path without resorting to crying and whining that it’s not fair. There are some that feel that too many models are divas and simply want everything done for them, especially when things aren’t going their way. While this isn’t entirely true those that get filmed and noticed throwing their tantrums make this lesson doubly important.
2. At least try to take the high road.
This is the kind of lesson that encompasses life as we know it. Taking the low road and getting into a heated feud with someone over something that’s not even close to being important is all too easy. Taking the high road is difficult and doesn’t promise instant gratification as some people would like. But taking the high road is a much better idea since it keeps a person above the petty squabbles that might otherwise paint them as a rather spoiled and pampered brat like some models have been in the past. In life you take what you get and try to keep your head up, but the moment you allow yourself to be drawn away from the high road is when you admit that you don’t have the strength to just walk away and let things be.
1. The world owes you nothing.
People are entitled to one thing, the air that fills their lungs. Apart from that, this world owes no one anything. You want it, you work for it, and you earn it. Apart from that there is no one in this world that will simply give you anything unless it’s from the kindness of their heart, and even that has a limit. If you want to be successful then work. If you want to be famous then work. If you want the world to remember you then get up, do the work, and always remember that nothing in this world is guaranteed. The world owes nothing to anyone.
Those lessons are fairly universal to be honest.
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