3 Takeaways From Katherine Pierce of the Vampire Diaries

I was never fascinated with vampires and their abilities because I always thought they were spiteful creatures. But after watching The Vampire Diaries, specifically the character of Katherine Pierce, I think otherwise now. If you’re a fan of the TV series, you will probably be familiar with her.

Pierce, also known as Katherina Petrova, was just an ordinary naïve 18-year-old girl, who gave birth to a baby girl but was forced to give her away for adoption. She was then disowned by her family for the shame she brought onto them and was banished to England. During that time, she also caught the attention of an immortal hybrid named Klaus who had the intention to kill her in order to break a curse.

After learning this, Pierce quickly ran away and turned herself into a vampire, which made her useless for the ritual Klaus had intended. As a result, Klaus killed her entire family to get back at her for running away. Since then, Pierce trusted no one and did horrible things to survive. She did just that for five centuries.

Yes, she may be selfish, manipulative, calculative and psychotic. But, you can still learn a thing or two from this fictional character.

1. Her strong determination throughout the Vampire Diaries Series

Pierce shows strong determination which explains why she always gets what she wants. She focuses on her goals and works her way towards them and is relentless until she achieves them. By hook or by crook, she gets her goals accomplished, and giving up was never an option. Research has shown the a strong determination and belief in what you are trying to accomplish is key to your success. Your belief system (or BS, as our editor Roshan Thiran calls it), is what determines if you achieve something or not. Read this amazing article on how your BS drives your success.

2. Her strategic thinking skills

Wait, you guys! This is Katherine we’re talking about. She is going to see a sneak attack from a mile away. – Caroline Forbes

Besides her pretty face, Pierce is a master in the art of manipulation and it takes a lot of effort to be one. It requires one to be strategic. That includes a lot of planning, thinking, visioning and strategising.

Pierce is always one step ahead of her enemies because she knew who she was dealing with. She knows how they think and act and with that knowledge, she is able to plan not just for the present but also the future. By that, she is prepared for any circumstances.

For example, in the scene where Damon Salvatore ruined her master plan by killing off her werewolf, Pierce said to him, “Do you honestly believe that I don’t have a plan B and if that fails a plan C, then a plan D, and you know how the alphabets works, don’t you?”

3. Her agility and adaptability

Pierce was a human, vampire, traveler and a doppelganger. She was able to adapt to all the circumstances she was in and hence, her ability to outsmart Klaus for five centuries. For instance, Pierce had no problem 'fitting in' in England after she was disowned by her family. In fact, she spoke fluent English and acquired the English accent.

Besides that, even after taking the cure for vampirism, Pierce was still capable of caring for herself without much reliance on others.

As good as she is on her own, she also showed adaptability in terms of working. She was capable of working in a team. Despite knowing the contempt the Salvatore brothers have for her, she was still able to work together with them at numerous occasions to get rid of Klaus.

Charles Darwin once said:

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one who is the most adaptable to change.

Great leaders are people who are able to adapt to any circumstances and are agile to changes. They make the best out of the circumstances they are in and are proactive to achieve the change they desire.

In conclusion

Even the worst leaders in history have a teachable point of view to offer to us. We don’t need to take after their bad characteristics. Instead, we can focus on the good ones and apply them to our daily lives.

Ultimately, I leave it up to you to decide how you perceive a person’s character, or how you want to learn (or not!) from them.

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