4 Life Pro Tips From Russian Empress Catherine The Great

They didn’t call Catherine great for nothing. In fact, the Russian Empress truly captured the allure and essence of majestic royalty. However, she kept her feet on the ground – and developed the perfect platform for meeting the needs of the Russian masses, while retaining her sovereignty as a revered and beloved Monarch. As an effective ruler, Catherine the Great – from her experiences – learned vital life skills that carried her throughout her existence. The following life pro tips are courtesy of this once beloved and charmed Russian Princess:

Be a Good Listener

As the wife of Peter III, Catherine learned how to listen to her husband’s constant qualms about Russia – and how he deeply missed his homeland of Prussia. While Catherine – at times –wanted to ring his neck for his constant complaints and blabbering, she learned that the key was to simply listen until Peter himself got tired of his oratories. She carried this learned skills throughout her life and rule – which helped her project a true vision of control, calmness, and professionalism across the board.

Tell the Masses What they Want to Hear

The Prussian – Russian Princess knew earlier on that in order to rule – you had to tell the masses what they wanted to hear. After all, the subjects and people were the foundation of the monarchy – and to prevent turmoil – you simply had to let them you were on their side. Now this skill helped alleviate a lot of potential problems in the kingdom, especially when it came to political disagreements, conquests, and especially preventing peasant and farmer revolts.

Always Improve

Catherine the Great strongly believed in self-improvement and education on all levels. This is why she read a lot of books spanning a myriad of topics and subjects. While she was basically discouraged by her peers and fellow royals – Catherine shunned their advice and took in as much knowledge as possible. Her life tip for us all was to continue improving ourselves and our environments by simply learning new things every day.

Never Lose Focus

Never losing focus of your dreams and aspirations was important to Catherine. She believed by enhancing your strengths – while improving weaknesses – you could truly become a well-rounded, informed, and connected individual with true open-mindedness.

These are a but a few simple techniques Catherine had mastered during her impressive reign.

Photo via Shutterstock, image by Bobby Finger.