Sixteen years after its final episode, "Friends" is still one of the most iconic shows in TV history. I grew up watching the show (literally, I was born in 1994 - the same year as season one - and everyday I notice just how much I learned from the six best friends and most beloved characters TV has ever seen.
1. Everyone has a lobster.
Phoebe Buffay, the genius that she is, taught us that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. Watching Rachel and Ross realize that they belong to each other over the course of 10 seasons made me believe that Phoebe's quirky theory might be true.
2. "We were on a break" is never a good excuse- whether you really were on one or not.
Word to the wise: If you ever go on a break, make sure you wait more than 12 hours before hooking up with someone else, especially if you plan on getting back together with the person your taking time away from. Also, using the break as a defense for your actions won't earn you any forgiveness.
3. Falling in love with your best friend is always a good idea.
Monica and Chandler were easily the best couple on the show. They supported each other through the hardest of times, laughed together when life was good, and taught us that the most unlikely pair can make a great match. And the best part? They cared about each other long before that drunken night in London turned them into TV's cutest couple.
4. Do what you love.
Monica was a chef, Ross studied paleontology, Phoebe played music, Rachel worked in fashion, Joey was an actor, and Chandler quit a job that he hated to pursue a career he loved in advertisement. No matter how hard they had to work or how bumpy the road was, every single friend chased after what they wanted. Life is too short to spend it being unhappy.
5. Don't let rejection slow you down.
Speaking of chasing your dreams, there may be times when that seems easier said than done and you want to give up, but if I learned anything from Joey Tribbiani (besides that I shouldn't share food) it's that rejection is inevitable, but that doesn't mean you can't still be successful. Perseverance is key, how else do you think Joey convinced the "Days of Our Lives People" to give him a brain transplant after dropping him down that elevator shaft?
6. Always choose happiness over pain.
Phoebe really had a hard-knock life. Her father abandoned her when she was a baby, her mother killed herself, her step-father went to prison and she was forced to live on the streets and fend for herself. Nothing about Phoebe's life was easy, but somehow she always made the best of it. Phoebe taught me that no matter how hard things seem, there is always something to smile about.
7. No matter how much you plan, life might not turn out the way you expected.
Everyone knows that Monica Gellar is the queen of control freaks. She has her life planned, organized and even cleaned down to the very last detail, but even the ultimate planner herself has to deal with unexpected job loss, the end of a relationship she thought would end in forever and the struggle of not being able to give birth to her own baby. The reality of life is that you can do everything right, but sometimes things don't go your way and there is beauty in that if you look for it.
8. Run like you did when you were a kid.
Okay, maybe you don't have to flail your arms around while you run like Phoebe does, but the point is you should live your life how you want to without worrying what other people think.
9. It doesn't matter where you come from, life is what you make it.
Rachel Green started the series as a spoiled rich girl who ran away to New York City because she wanted so much more out of her life than to be someone's trophy wife. She realized the potential she had to be something great and after a lot of hard work (and some tough love from Monica) she became a level-headed career woman with multiple fashion companies vying for her to come work with them. Walking away from her privileged upbringing seemed like a risky move, but against all odds she turned her life into her own. And if she can do it, I can too.
10. Never give up on love.
Ross Gellar had a tough go of it in the relationship game; and he has three divorces to prove it. But beyond those failed marriages we know one thing for sure: Ross is hopelessly in love with Rachel Green (she is his lobster, after all). He fell in love with Rachel in high school, held onto that love through college, and realized that love all over again when she came rushing into the coffee shop in a wedding dress one rainy day. For ten more years Ross loved Rachel even when they weren't together. Ross' undying love for Rachel gave us something to believe in for ten seasons until we finally got to hear the words, "I got off the plane." And everything was right.
10. But sometimes, love isn't enough.
If Monica and Chandler didn't end up together, I think American would have been fine with Monica and Richard getting married. They seemed almost perfect and they were madly in love, but when Monica broke up with Richard because he didn't want kids, she taught me that sometimes love isn't all you need. Heartbreak is hard, but it would be harder to spend your life with someone who makes you sacrifice your dreams.
11. Laughter really is the best medicine.
Chandler Bing taught me that life doesn't always have to be taken so seriously. Sometimes the best way to get through a tough situation is to just crack a joke and laugh at yourself.
12. Life is hard, but friends make it better.
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year, make sure you surround yourself with people who will always be there for you.
