Carrie Bradshaw is forever getting crap about the way she lived her life. Everyone was constantly critiquing every little move she made throughout "Sex and the City," but the reality of it is that she was just being real. No television character is constantly perfect and going to please everybody, especially not one as iconic as Carrie Bradshaw.

The truth is, there's a lot that 20-something-year-olds can learn from her:

1. It's your money, so spend it how you want.

It's no secret Carrie doesn't always make choices that people find financially responsible, but does she really need to? It's not like she has a family to support at home, it's just her. She makes her own money, so if she wants to spend it on loads of expensive shoes and Vogue magazines, why can't she? Some people spend money on exotic vacations, antique cars or a fancy house. Carrie likes her money where she can see it — hanging in her closet.

It's your money, and you can do what you want with it. No one else should make you feel bad for spending it on what makes you happy.

“You can never have too many pairs of shoes.”

"The fact is, sometimes it's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes. That's why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun."

2. It's OK to let loose when you need it.

Carrie was never afraid to get a little crazy, which can really be a good thing. We don't need to spend everyday waking up, going to work, exercising, cooking dinner and doing chores. It's completely acceptable to get out and enjoy life. Everyone needs some time to go out with friends and just forget about the world that's stressing you out on a regular basis.

Life can start to drive you crazy if you're so focused on being serious 24/7. It doesn't hurt to take a little time every once in awhile and have some fun.

"Maybe some (women) aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they are meant to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with."

"Eventually all the pieces fall into place... until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason."

3. Screwing up is a part of life.

We'd all probably like to pretend that we have our whole lives planned out from A to Z, but the truth is — you don't. Things change, we change, what we want changes and that's all OK. Even though Carrie often screwed up and made plenty of mistakes, she always owned up to them.

It's important that we always take responsibility for our choices, even the bad ones. It's a part of life and isn't going to be the end of the world. Take a second to re-evaluate what you want, where you're going and just move forward.

"Life gives you lots of chances to screw up, which means you have just as many chances to get it right."

"As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda and buckle up and just keep going."

"Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens."

4. Putting yourself out there is important.

Not everyone needs to be a sex and relationship columnist, but you do need to find some way to express who you are and let yourself be vulnerable. Today, people are always so worried about what everyone else thinks about them, how many "likes" they get or if what they say rubs people the wrong way.

The truth is, you can't please everybody. So, you might was well just be yourself. There's no point it worrying about trying and failing, because if you don't try you might as well have failed. Put yourself out there and go after whatever it is you want.

"When you are determined to reach your goal, not even obstacles can scare you away."

"You shouldn't have to sacrifice who you are just because somebody else has a problem with it."

5. You can't get through life without good friends.

Countless times, Carrie was let down by the men in her life, but luckily, she had some pretty great friends to help bring her back up. She says countless times that even if her love life wasn't going how she wanted, it was OK because she had found her soulmate in her friends.

Whether you are in a fantastic relationship, or not, friendship is always important. You need those people outside your love life to keep you grounded, help you see things from another perspective, and be there when you're in need.

"No matter who broke your heart, or how long it takes to heal, you'll never get through it without your friends."

"They say nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendship never goes out of style."

6. Never settle when it comes to love.

No matter how many times you wanted to scream at Carrie for picking Big over Aidan (because he just seemed so perfect, like wow), you really couldn't blame her. Even though Aidan did everything right and she did love him, it was nothing compared to how madly in love she was with Big.

Sometimes, love works out where the guy who seems to do everything perfect is the one you fall in love with. But sometimes you just have to follow your heart and keep fighting for the love that awoken your soul and made you feel something no one else ever had — even if it isn't easy. On the plus side, Big and Carrie end up together, so clearly your one big love doesn't always have to go smoothly to end up happily together.

"Refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."

"The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well that's just fabulous."