You’ve probably watched hundreds of movies and TV shows because it’s a great means of entertainment and also an easy way to learn new things about love, friendship, or life in general. But here is one important fact – we all tend to focus on protagonists and successful characters.

However, fictional losers can also make us laugh or encourage and inspire us to get over our everyday problems. Such characters can be just as meaningful and impressive as the good guy role, so I can’t help but wonder – what are the best things we can learn from antagonists?

In this post, I will show you 10 unusual lessons fictional losers can teach you. Let’s check them out here!

1. Tyrion Lannister – Game of Thrones

You must know Tyrion Lannister, the little man from “Game of Thrones”. It turns out he is a clever guy who taught everybody to “accept yourself the way you are”. Here is what Tyrion said: “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you”. This is very important for a business leader because you need to accept yourself before learning how to handle teams of professionals.

2. Claudia Donovan – Warehouse 13

Claudia Donovan was one of the lead antagonists in the “Warehouse 13” TV series. She is a computer hacker and inventor who definitely knows a thing or two about life. Claudia teaches us to “embrace the people around you and to remember them when they leave”. In other words, you can learn a lot from colleagues around you, so pay attention to what they have to say.

3. Julianne – My Best Friend’s Wedding

Julianne is the eventual loser in a comedy entitles “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. Julianne realized that she was in love with her best friend Michael just a few days before his wedding. She didn’t want to give up on her true love, so she tried everything to win over Michael. Although she failed to do so, Julianne told us how to fight for what we really want: “This is my one chance at happiness. I have to be ruthless!” Just like Julianne, you have to be completely focused on your business objective if you want to reach it.

4. Joker –Batman

Heath Ledger is by far the best Joker in the “Batman” franchise, which means he really made an impression on spectators. Joker taught us a bunch of wonderful lessons, but I left only a few highlights that might as well serve as instructions for entrepreneurs:

• People are not always what they seem to be. To know them better, have a closer look at them.
• Sometimes things don’t necessarily go according to how we planned them. Therefore, always have a plan B.
• Anger, if not controlled, can destroy you. So it’s better to cool down & smile as often as you can. Why so serious?

5. Holden Caulfield – The Catcher in the Rye

One of the modern literature’s classics, “The Catcher in the Rye” introduced an iconic loser Holden Caulfield. Entire generations of readers recognized themselves in Holden because he was always frustrated and miserable. Much of his anger comes from dating and lost love, so it’s easy to figure out why we can understand Holden. In its essence, the novel told us that at least we are not alone in our frustrations both inside and outside of the business world.

6. Ron Weasley – Harry Potter

Ron Weasley has always been a good boy, but never the one that actually makes the difference in “Harry Potter”. It doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t have anything to learn from Ron. On the contrary, he is the kid who told us that “sometimes in the worst situation all you need is to laugh”. So when you found yourself stuck with a problem that seems impossible to solve, you should take your time, relax, and the new idea will come to your mind sooner or later.

7. Kaz Brekker – Six of Crows

Kaz Brekker is the gang leader in “Six of Crows” who would do anything to earn a lot of money. Besides that, he is a cold-hearted and ruthless liar. However, it doesn’t mean that Kaz is stupid. As the matter of fact, he was perfectly clear about one thing: “A little lie never hurt anyone … much”. This is an essence of entrepreneurship as you sometimes have to bend the truth in order to seal the deal.

8. Regina Mills – Once Upon a Time

Regina Mills used to be an Evil Queen on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”. Her heart was darkened by power and corruption, but she found a great way to justify certain actions. Namely, Regina taught us that “there is no such thing as good or evil because life is never that simple”. Things can definitely get blurry in business as well, so you won’t always be sure what is right and what is wrong.

9. Walter White – Breaking Bad

Walter White was a talented chemist who couldn’t find his luck as an average guy, so he turned to drug production and dealership. As the series progressed, Walter realized there is nothing more important than being passionate about what you do. His famous quote is: “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really … I was alive”. This is what you should do, too. Choose jobs that suit your skills and preferences and you’ll make a wonderful career.

10. Robert Jordan – For Whom the Bell Tolls

Robert Jordan is an American volunteer for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War and the protagonist of “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. Although he died, Robert taught us that it’s not the worst thing that could happen. In this novel, Robert famously stated that he was not frightened of dying but “only of not doing my duty as I should”. Duty is sacred, so make sure to fulfill your plans as a professional.

CONCLUSION

Although people tend to focus on good guys in movies, TV shows, or novels, the truth is that a lot of antagonists or even villains teach us some much more important life lessons. In this post, I showed you 10 unusual lessons you can learn from fictional losers.

Did you like my choices? Do you have other interesting suggestions to share with your peers? Feel free to let us know in comments and we’ll be glad to discuss it together!

About author: Olivia is an incurable optimist who always sees the glass as half-full. She likes nature, knows how to enjoy silence and is keen on writing for various websites as well as for Aussie writing service. Meet her on Facebook and Twitter.