If you’ve seen even a single episode of "How I Met Your Mother," you know that Ted is a know-it-all and the rest of the group gives him grief because he “always has to be right.” While this is fairly accurate (Ted is kind of a know-it-all) he always chimes in with unparalleled advice on life, love, or whatever message he is trying to get across to his kids that day. It sounds weird to say, but I learned so much by watching HIMYM and if you're a fan, too, you probably know what I'm talking about. The friendships and relationships that Ted falls in and out of throughout those nine seasons make for some pretty great life lessons that anyone can take something useful away from. (Disclaimer: there may be some spoilers if you haven't seen the show.)
"If you're not scared, then you're not taking a chance. If you're not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing?"
Life's all about taking chances, if you're not taking chances, you're probably staying in the same place, and that's a waste of time. Ted always seems to be taking chances (especially in his dating life... how many women did he date, again?) and it led him to the love of his life in the end.
"Shouldn't we hold out for the person who doesn't just tolerate our little quirks, but actually kinda likes them?"
How could you be with someone you can't be yourself around? Everyone has those little quirks that most people probably think are weird or annoying, but the right person for you would never find them weird and especially not annoying. Ted goes through girl after girl throughout the show, but he always seems to know that they're not "the one" until he finds the one that's just as weird as he is.
"Sometimes things have to fall apart to make way for better things."
This quote may be overused and redundant, but despite that, it's true. I know from experience that you cannot force things to work out if they are meant to end. And things not working out isn't always bad, because there is probably something much better in store for you.
"You can't cling to the past because no matter how tightly you hold on, it's already gone."
I think everyone knows this, but sometimes you just have to remind yourself that you cannot change what has happened, you can only learn from it and keep moving forward. Even Ted seemed to cling to the past with pretty much everything (Robin), but he eventually learned to let go of it (kind of) and move on.
"You will be shocked when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. That's why when you find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it."
If you have had people in your life that you had no problem parting with, then they probably weren't that pivotal components of your life to begin with. But when you find someone that you want to keep around, that you know you couldn't be apart from, you must let those people know how you feel. Ted knows all about letting people know how he's feeling. I mean, he did tell Robin he loved her on their first date.
"When it's after 2 A.M., just go to sleep. Because the decisions you make after 2 A.M. are the wrong decisions."
I just had to throw this one in here, this is crucial. Even the bars close at 2 A.M. They know it's true.
