2019-03-28

President Frank Underwood knows what the American people need and crave. It's his solemn belief that they're children and daddy needs to lead the adult toddlers of the nation on a short leash. “We have to hold their sticky fingers and wipe their filthy mouths,” Underwood said. Also, you can disregard term limits as he schemes to govern the country for multiple terms. He concluded simply we are “One nation, Underwood.” They're the king and queen cobras of perfidiousness. They're duplicitous and inexorably will not settle for anything less than full power. Their salacious appetite won't allow it. Together they are unstoppable as Francis and Claire Underwood in Netflix’s original hit show, “House of Cards.” Here are 6 lessons from the most sadistic couple to ever stroll into a fictional White House.

Always be on guard.

If you want to succeed in the business world you need to be tough as people will mistreat you. If you are soft-spoken and want to please everyone--then you will have pain. Smile and shake with one hand, but keep a rock in your back pocket or in one fist as Frank Underwood would suggest. “Shake with your right hand, but hold a rock in the left.” Claire also would teach the same lesson. She once warned: "Am I really the sort of enemy you want to make?"

There is no pain.

Psychology Today explained that you cannot control most of the major influences in your life. The good news is that you have unlimited control. "If you control the meaning of events in your life by creating as much value as you can, you will have a sense of purpose and personal power." The former Democratic Congressman from the South Carolina manipulates, bribes and murders, so pain is definitely not pertinent to him. Frank said that there are “…two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that’s only suffering. I have no patience for useless things.” Allowing pain to consume you really doesn't serve a purpose unless it is used to make you stronger and better. 

Be an aggressor.

“For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted," said Frank. He learned this from Chloe, an investigative reporter, who befriended him and threatened to take him down. Good move, Chloe. Remember to not reveal inner workings to colleagues or even friends, unless they prove trustworthy. In a work setting, people who seem for you could backstab you, so be on alert. You need to be smarter than them. “What is the face of a coward? The back of his head as he runs from the battle.” Always be the aggressor and never become the victim in Frank's world.

Bottle up your feelings.

Stuffing emotions are bad for us, something we do to avoid pain or confrontation. When we don't express anger it can come out in other ways like depression, isolation and mental health problems. This pattern can be hard to break on your own. For normal people, enlisting a therapist could help deal with deep rooted and unexpressed anger. This is not the case with Frank. “From this moment on you are a rock. You absorb nothing, you say nothing and nothing breaks you.”

Know how to handle authority.

Superiors are not always right because they have a title. Speak in a respectful matter, but get the point across. People respect your honesty. When people are underhanded, it will bite them down the line. So take care of the people on your team and lead by example. In Frank's world, things are not so civil. “Humility is their form of pride. It is their strength. It is their weakness and if you can humble yourself before them they will do anything you ask," he added. Leaders who possess integrity can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might benefit them to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers. This requires the highest standard of integrity. Well, this is also something that Mr. Underwood wouldn't grasp.

Forgiveness is not an option.

In the real world, forgiveness has its positives. Forgiving will help you from playing the same scenario over in your head! Also, forgiving is shown to be healthy. Holding onto unforgiveness causes digestive and cardiovascular problems when it is prolonged. This can also trigger hives, migraines, overall pains and anxieties. If you ask Frank about this, he would shrug it off as being a definite negative, despite what the advantages are. "It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission. For myself, I seek neither one. I do what it takes." It's amazing this man is not in a bed with an ulcer or high blood pressure!

Frank and Claire Underwood are ruling their respective world. It's up to us if we want to channel their inner power in strength. But we hope more for the good!
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