6 Things I Learned From the Friends TV Show

I learned one core trait from each leading character

I watched, re-watched and binge-watched all the episodes of the Friends TV show — sometimes in order, sometimes randomly — over and over again.

It’s one of those evergreen TV shows that you can watch and re-watch time and again without boring yourself.

No matter how many times you’ve watched each episode, when the next time you watch it, you laugh as hard as you did for the first time.

I didn’t get all the jokes the first time I watched Friends. Most of the jokes went over my head back then. With every re-watch, I uncovered yet another joke and laughed even more.

Watching Friends was my only source of laughter when I was going through the toughest time of my life. It made me laugh when nothing else worked.

The six leading characters, or should I say “friends”, taught me different traits for a happy life — Ross taught me what it’s like to be a nerd, Monica taught me how to be organized and responsible, Rachel taught me to enjoy life as it happens, Phoebe taught me to not take life seriously, Joey taught me it’s okay to be a little dumb and Chandler taught me how to deal any situation with sarcasm.

Here are 6 life lessons from the 6 leading characters of Friends that brought a change in my life. As a bonus, you get “one more thing” too.

Laugh at your own expense

We only live once and when we die, we go to another world from where there’s no return back. This is the only life we’ve got. So why take life seriously and ruin all the fun?

Life isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Live your life as it happens.

What do you do when life gives you lemons? Make lemonade? Nope, just play with it. It’s more fun that way.

Hi, I’m Chandler. I make jokes when I’m uncomfortable.

Learn to make fun of yourself every once in a while. This is a rare trait. Not everyone can laugh at themselves.

We’re so self-obsessed with our self-image that we forget that it’s okay to laugh at our own expenses.

Life isn’t meant to be taken seriously

People think that making fun of themselves makes them look like they have low self-esteem. But that’s not necessarily true.

Of course, you can’t laugh at your own mistakes in every situation. But in most cases, laughing at your own mistakes presents you as easy-going and fun to be around.

Chandler Bing is the king of sarcasm. He makes jokes at his own expenses all the time.

I’m not suggesting that you should make fun of yourself all the time. But doing it once in a while will bring a change in your life.

It helps to be a little dumb sometimes

We all do dumb stuff. We are just not proud of ourselves when we do these. But you know what? Being dumb sometimes makes you more approachable and even lovable.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you really do dumb stuff unwittingly. Not every one of us is born Einstein.

Joey doesn’t share food!

Even smart people do dumb things sometimes. And when they do, they laugh at their mistakes and make it go away just like that.

Being dumb sometimes makes you more approachable and even lovable.

Being dumb and playing dumb are two different things though. If you play dumb to create a false impression, then that’s not what I’m suggesting here.

Live life as it happens

Life is full of problems. And these problems bring in opportunities with them to learn from them.

We are presented with unexpected problems every now and then. You can be prepared for life’s difficulties all you want, but that doesn’t guarantee that everything in life will go as planned. Spoiler alert: they won’t.

I got off the plane.

And that’s life. It’s full of surprises. Sometimes you do something on a whim that gets you in trouble. Your worst experiences are usually the worst because you weren’t prepared to tackle them. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be the worst experience. Right?

Take life as it is. Always be prepared to ride the waves of life. Because it’s going to be bumpy sometimes.

Problems bring in opportunities with them to learn from them

After Rachel left Barry at the altar, she found herself in a situation she didn’t know how to cope with. She was one of those born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-her-mouth type girls.

Rachel took life as it happened and went on to become a fashion executive for Ralph Lauren from a waitress at the local coffee shop.

I know it’s just a sitcom and the scriptwriters can make anyone anything they like. But that’s not the point.

Life is unpredictable. You have to face most of life’s headwinds unprepared.

If life wasn’t like this, then what fun would you have living it?

Be a little nerdy

Nerds are looked upon as no-fun in social gatherings. They are made fun of in every opportunity. But is it that bad to be a nerd?

Ross is a Paleontologist and a nerd. He was “Monica’s geeky older brother”. He knew he was a little different but wasn’t ashamed of himself in any way.

We were on a break!

Being a little nerdy can be awesome. It makes you intellectually superior to your fellows. You may not be great at socializing, but you know stuff.

Nerds add a different flavor to their friend circle. They have their own take on matters. They see things in a way that those normal homo sapiens often overlook.

Being a little nerdy makes you intellectually superior to your fellows

Bring your inner nerd to the table. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone’s different in their own way.

You can be a nerd and a great addition to your friend circle at the same time.

Be organized and responsible

Life is messy in itself. If you keep your life organized, then you’d be better prepared for whatever may come in your life.

Being organized helps you to stay on top of things. If you keep things organized, then you know where to find something if and when you need them.

And I have to live with a boy!

Responsibility is another commendable trait. Take full responsibility for your life. Commandeer your life’s ship the way you want it to.

People will follow you in whatever way you may lead them if they find you responsible enough.

If you are organized and responsible in your life, then you would be better prepared for whatever may come

When you are both organized and responsible at the same time, as was Monica, you’re way ahead in your life.

Be organized and responsible to a point that your life stays sane. Just don’t overdo them. You know what they say, “Excess of anything is very bad”.

Embrace your inner weirdness

We all have some weirdness in us. Sometimes we just don’t like to show our weirdness thinking people will make fun of us.

Phoebe Buffay is weird and quirky. But it doesn’t bother her. She’s not ashamed of it in the least.

I wish I could, but I don’t want to.

The benefit of being weird? Those who know you are weird will not mind you and accept you as fun to be around person.

And the cons of being weird? Well, there’s a chance that people won’t take you seriously.

At least you’ll always get people’s attention being weird. Whatever you do or say, they’ll always notice with curiosity.

We all have some weirdness in us

If you want to be weird sometimes, then be weird. Add some flavors to your life and those around you.

Don’t keep yourself in a shell because you’re not meant to be.

One more thing

Real friends stand by each other

Real friends are gems. They will always be there for you even when you’re in the worst point of life.

Friends share everything with each other. They have each other in their happiness and woes.

Life is full of meaning when we’re with our friends. When you have real friends, you know you have someone who got your back in the toughest times. When life sets in, you know you won’t be alone.

Some people feel emptiness among his coworkers and even in his family. But they find their inner selves when they’re in their friend circle. They behave as themselves without fear of being judged.

Friends do make fun of each other, of course. Sometimes it’s in the worst way possible.

But they do it to make you come out of your shell. They do it so that you can be yourself. They do it to make you realize who you really are.

Some TV shows’ appeal ends when you watch them just once, or at best twice. But very few TV shows can claim to be as appealing as friends after each new re-watch.

I open my laptop to re-watch an episode of Friends when I have a rough day and my day lighten up just like that.

For a TV show Friends is quite unmatched. If you haven’t seen it already, you don’t know what you’re missing.

I’ve just got one more thing to say, “How you doin’?”