Most of us have seen "How I Met Your Mother." The nine-season show follows the lives of five friends, their adventures, their love lives, their careers and, of course, how Ted meets the mother of his children. HIMYM takes its audience on a journey and the things I learned from the sitcom I will carry with me as I begin to transition into adulthood.
Your friends are everything.
Creating relationships with people who really matter is one of the most important thing that you can do. The friendship that Ted, Barney, Lily, Marshall and Robin have is one that I could only wish for.
Mistakes are part of growing up.
You’re going to make thousands of mistakes in your lifetime, but it is important to make them. Even bad lessons are lessons learned.
You should be scared.
Sometimes, some of the most important things you do, will be absolutely terrifying. Falling in love, traveling, taking a new job will be scary, but it’s worth doing.
You should find someone who loves you for you.
In some cases, Ted was too picky, but you should find someone who cherishes the person you are, rather than just tolerating it.
You’ll find someone willing to steal a blue French horn for you.
It was weird when Ted told Robin he loved her on their first date, but he really did love her. He stole her a blue French horn. Someone will love you enough to steal a blue French horn for you too.
Everyone has a Lilypad or Marshmallow out there.
The love that Lily and Marshall had was beautiful. They got it right from the very beginning. Everyone has a soul mate and best friend. You’ll find that person that is both.
If Barney is capable of true love, you are too.
Whether it was being in love with Robin or the love he finds for his daughter, Barney found the love of his life, and you will too. Give it time.
Sometimes the self-five is necessary.
You’re awesome. You do awesome things. Be legend--wait for it--dary and remember to self-five every now and then when you do great things.
Don’t live in the past.
The entire concept of HIMYM is Ted retelling all of these stories that led to him eventually meeting his wife, but the most important lesson we learn from these stories is not to live in them. Life moves forward and you have to too.
It’s okay to be a little lost.
Ted has a moment toward the end of season seven when he realizes he’s 34 and still single. Robin didn’t figure out where her career was going until late into the series and Lily changes career paths entirely in season eight. It may take longer than you are expecting, but things will figure themselves out eventually. Have faith.
“She’s getting here as fast as she can.”
In season four, Stella tells Ted that she knows he is tired of waiting to find Mrs. Right. Stella tells the story of how she got out of a speeding ticket when the officer said he had been waiting for her all day. She replies by saying, “I'm sorry, officer, I got here as fast as I could.” You may be waiting for the love of your life for a while, but it’ll all be worth it in the end.
"How I Met Your Mother" is a terrific show with many life lessons. While at times the sitcom is merely comedic, you will take away some wonderful advice in the end. Thank you, HIMYM for all the lessons and an unexpected ending. I’ll hold on to it forever.
