Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an amazing program. It was pretty much THE program of the 90s, and it’s still being replayed all the time. It’s like Friends, but without that huge legion of people maintaining that they didn’t watch it or that it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t just great entertainment, though – there were some great life lessons hidden amongst those plotlines. Check these out!
Snapshot Survey
Snapshot Survey
1. Introduce Yourself
When was the last time you introduced yourself? It’s the easiest way to get to know people, whether it’s others in your industry or potential partners. Get confident with strolling up and introducing who you are. Keep it short and sweet, and make sure you’re friendly – you want to start conversations! Don’t wait for people to come to you, though. They might be shy, too.
2. Ask Questions
Make an effort to get to know people and find out information. It could be as simple as asking people if they are okay or what plans they have for that weekend. It could be remembering their dog or child’s name and asking about them. It could be asking a useful question during a meeting. When you’ve got questions, sense-check them in your head and ask. Don’t sit on them and hope someone else asks for you.
3. Don’t Hide You
Everyone has things about themselves that they’d change. Own them anyway. Never be afraid of who you are. If you need some inspiration, check out some of the bizarre and goofy things that Buffy does! Be yourself, and people will be drawn to your realism and friendliness. Hide yourself and you’ll come across as cold and guarded.
4. Assertive Doesn’t Mean Mean
Being assertive isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Being rude or mean is. You need to know where the line is. If you think someone is being disrespectful or rude, you need to be tough and stand up for yourself. You’ll get nowhere being a walk over! But you don’t want to be mean and scare people off, either. Compromise where you can, and be careful not to step over the line. If you always know where the line is, you can always be confident that you’re responding correctly.
5. Don’t Be Mystic
Okay, so we all loved the supernatural in Buffy, but mystical people soon come across as difficult in real life. Don’t be confusing. In fact, make a conscious effort to go the other way and be straight-forward and easy to read. Decide how you feel, and act like that. Ignore any advice to play games. If you’re not sure how you feel, back off until you do, so you don’t give out mixed signals. Don’t be confusing.
6. Go for It
Everyone remembers when Buffy FINALLY made a move and kissed him…I’m keeping this purposefully vague in case people haven’t watched it, but come on, you’re almost a decade late! Don’t be the person that everyone is egging on and sighing about missed opportunities. Go for it and grasp them. You won’t regret it. Much. Okay, you might regret it, but you’ll definitely regret it less than you’ll regret not trying.
7. Don’t Hold on to Regrets
That brings us nicely to the last point. Buffy had some regrets. It’s hard to get through life and not think of how differently some moments could have gone, if we could do them again. It’s not a game, though, and we don’t get another play through. Don’t harbor regrets. Nothing good lives there. Move on and own your decisions and your past. It’s your future that matters.
Buffy is actually a pretty amazing role model, really. She was honest about how she feels, she was supportive, she was pretty friendly… Did you learn any great life lessons from Buffy? I’d love to hear them! I might start asking WWBD? (What Would Buffy Do?)
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