So you wanna be a boss. Netflix and chill will yourself to get off the couch already. How to Be a Boss (According to Your Favorite Shows) is your excuse to binge all the TV you want. It’s career inspiration, right?
On the surface, the women of Monterey may prioritize wealth, status, and the winning side of posh public-school politics. But Madeline, Celeste, Bonnie, Jane, and Renata of Big Little Lies are a lot more complex than they initially seem—and proof of what can be accomplished by working collaboratively.
Whether it’s Celeste (Nicole Kidman) feeling reinvigorated as she dips back into law, or Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) feeding her ambitions to put on a puppet-fueled musical, it’s nearly impossible for anyone in this show to chase their dreams, survive hardships, or jump into a passion project without the support of good friends. Or, at the very least, people they’ve been forced to cross paths with regularly. These, as anyone in the workplace knows, can often be one in the same.
So, with that in mind, here are 19 tips to live by should you find yourself navigating the stormy seas of worklife like the oceanside upper class.
1. Pursue your passion projects. Feeling successful is essential to your well-being, so find something you care about and throw yourself into it. (Just watch out for unnecessary drama.)17. Which is to say, remember that you’re more powerful when someone’s got your back.
18. It also gets easier to cope with stress when you form close bonds with real friends who genuinely care about you.
19. Just be sure to make amends when they’re due. Because if Madeline’s taught us anything, it’s that friendships can be formed even after years of animosity.
Words by Anne T. Donahue
Feature image by Niall McClelland
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