For any of you out there who happen to be Game of Thrones fans, there is a good chance this past season wasn’t exactly your favourite one thus far. Yes, there were some big reveals and epic moments. But from a pure storytelling perspective, it was lacking in a number of different ways.
***For those of you who don’t watch the show, stick around, I promise there won’t be any spoilers and I promise I have a good point to make.***
For those of you who don’t know, the show creators have run out of source material because the author of the book series, George R.R. Martin, is still working on the final two books. Nevertheless, the show creators have continued to produce seasons, but instead of relying on the books to adapt to the screen, they are choosing to write their own episodes.
Season 6 definitely had its highlights, and overall, they did a solid job without their main source of inspiration. However, this past season sometimes felt closer to the latest installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, than an episode of Game of Thrones. It was full of numerous plot holes, illogical character decisions, predictable action scenes, and way too many one liners. I won’t do a full in-depth analysis of what exactly was wrong about it. But overall, it just felt “off” and nothing like the show I fell in love with.
Now some of you may agree with me, and some of you may think this was the best season so far. Meanwhile, some of you are wishing I would just shut up about the show and get to the point already.
But if there is one thing we can all agree on it’s the fact that we all have no control over what happens on the TV show. Unless you’re a director, a producer, an actor, or the president of HBO – the odds of you being able to influence the next episode of Game of Thrones is next to none.
And about half way through this past season I finally had to accept this fact. The show is the way it is and there is quite simply nothing I can do about it. This is my fate. I have to accept it.
This was a tough decision, for those of you who know me, you know I tend to get very passionate about the things I like. But what I came to realize was that by hating the show I was ruining the best parts of it.
There was one episode in particular when a huge pay off moment took place. Something that shows viewers have been anticipating for years and years. But in this huge scene, I was caught up with some stupid detail of the timelines not matching up. In the end, I got so caught up in being right, that I didn’t even give myself a chance to enjoy what was meant to be a great moment.
I ended up sitting there when the episode was done and just kicking myself for being so stupid.
I was getting so focused on all the bad that was going on that I didn’t even get to enjoy the good stuff right in front of my eyes. Instead of going into it with a positive mindset about the show, I instead brought in a hypercritical viewpoint.
And just like when you start looking for a new car and all of sudden begin to see that car everywhere on the road, I was seeing all the flaws because I prepared my brain to look out for them in advance.
When it comes to something as superficial as a TV show, it’s easy to brush off this reaction because it doesn’t really affect my life. But how often do we apply this line of thing to really important things and people in our day-to-day lives?
Predetermining Our Relationships
When was the last time you met a person whom you didn’t really like, but you had to spend time with on a regular basis?
If you are part of a team sport, chances are you’ve had at least a few teammates or coaches that fit this description.
Now looking back on that relationship…
How quick were you to look for the negatives in that person?
Did you notice when they skipped out on a few reps?
Did you twist every word they said into some condescending remark?
Would you treat every action they performed as an attack on your very being?
And most importantly, did you ever even bother to chat with them on more than a surface level?
The odds are high that you’ve all had someone in your life who you chose to view in this way. Sometimes it’s our competitive nature looking for ways to feel better about ourselves over others. And sometimes we’re just being assholes, but don’t like to admit it.
Regardless of your rationale for acting this way, deep down you know it was wrong. And the worst part is that you missed out on something important. When you put a filter on someone or something, you immediately shut off the part of your brain that will see anything else outside of that perspective.
And when you choose to limit the possibilities of how you can view something, you end up only hurting yourself. By making this choice, you are essentially signing yourself up for a limited experience. One that doesn’t lead to growth, but instead one that is selfish and self-serving.
Not to mention, that often these things, circumstances, or people we are choosing to view a certain way are ones that we have zero control over. Just like I cannot change the outcome of Game of Thrones, you cannot control how your teammates choose to live.
Yes, there are always going to be moments when being “right” matters. But when it comes to our relationships or our views on TV shows, it is often best to simply choose love over being right.
Plus, it makes life a lot more enjoyable.
This Week’s Challenge
What circumstances or people have you chosen to put a filter on? When was the last time you looked for a positive quality in them before seeking out the negative?
Today, try to find an example of this in your life and look for a positive quality before you go digging for the negative. It’s often easier than you think.
-Derek
