Life And Career Lessons We Can Learn From ‘Outlander’

The third season of “Outlander” is still a few months away, and fans are itching to know what happens to Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) after the former went back to her own time. While the Starz show is still filming season 3, fans can take a look back at past installments as well as Diana Gabaldon’s novels to see all the life and career lessons that we can learn from “Outlander.”

Apart from the couple’s romance, one reason why “Outlander” has resonated with a lot of women is largely in part to its strong female lead. Claire, who is smart, practical, and innovative, has been a refreshing change from the typical damsels in distress depicted in movies and other TV shows. Most of these life and career lessons are from Claire, and we would all do well to take a leaf out of her book.

Make the most of a difficult situation

In season 1, Claire accidentally time traveled to the 18th century with nothing more than the dress that she’s wearing. However, she made the most of her situation and found a way to survive by making herself useful to the Mackenzie clan. It can be recalled that she served as their healer so she could make use of her nursing skills.

In life and at work, there is always the possibility that one will be faced with a complicated situation. Instead of complaining about it, do what Claire did: accept it and head in with an open mind and a bit of caution, and make the most out of the situation. In this case, the heroine proved that when life gives you lemons, you can definitely make some lemonade.

Find people whom you can trust

Instead of blabbing about being a time traveler to anyone who would listen, Claire chose to keep it a secret as she knew the terrible consequences that await her should her true origins be found out. In season 1, only Jamie knew about her true identity, but in season 2, she decided to enlighten Jamie’s kinsman, Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) about herself. In the books, it takes years before Jamie’s family learns the truth from Claire herself and it happens in the seventh novel titled “An Echo in the Bone.”

Nowadays, it can be hard to find people whom you can trust with your fears and secrets, as some may choose to use these against you. Before confiding in someone, find out if he or she can be trusted first, and stay away from people who have a tendency to gossip about other people.

Be resourceful

Despite lacking modern medicines and tools to heal her patients, Claire managed to help people by mixing up medicinal herbs for anything from a simple cold to infected wounds. Fans of the books will also recall that as Claire is fastidious about personal hygiene, she made a way to make her own shampoo and sunflower soap in the 18th century.

Sometimes, people lack the tools that they need in order to do their job. But by looking around, being creative, and making do with what you have, you’ll find that resourcefulness pays off in the end.

Stand up for yourself

Claire regularly stood up for herself and gave people a piece of her mind when she felt like she needed to do so. This wasn’t in keeping with 18th-century norms wherein women were not encouraged to share their opinions, but Claire refused to be downtrodden under any circumstances.

When you feel like you need to speak up, do so and let yourself be heard. Communicate your thoughts in a professional and effective manner, and let everyone know that you have the right to be heard just like anybody else.

For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on life and career lessons we can learn from Kate Middleton.

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