With all the anticipation and excitement about the F.R.I.E.N.D.S reunion, we can’t help but look back at the original series. The 10 glorious years made us laugh, cry and taught us some valuable lessons along the way. Let us look back at some of those lessons.
It’s never too late to make a new start
One of the first and notable things about Chandler Bing is his job. The jokes, the confusion about his post, the relocation (to Tulsa) around his work are one of the factors that build his character. But even amidst the jokes and laughter, Chandler taught a valuable lesson that it’s never too late to make a new start.
Chandler got to the position of Vice-President in his job when he decided to quit. He realized his job wasn’t giving him any joy. He started as Junior Advertising Copywriter at an advertising agency. Chandler wasn’t afraid to make a new start. Sometimes this is what we need to do. Take that leap of faith and make a new start.
Soul mates
Before you race off to find your lobster in every other person you meet and get disappointed – Let’s go over Monica Geller’s theory of soul mates. There is no such thing as soul mates. People are not always destined to meet and fall in love. You meet someone and you work on your relationship.
You find your lobster with the work, compromises, and effort you put into the relationship. Likewise, you can’t just expect destiny to do all the work while you sit around.
Only you can turn your life around
Phoebe Buffay, the most fun-loving and a bit eccentric character has taught many lessons. She taught us to be happy in what we have. She taught us to be confident with ourselves.
Phoebe had a hard life. She even had to live in the streets. But, she turned her life around with her principles and ideals. She proved your past action doesn’t define you. You can change your life for good but only if you want to. I mean there is always Ursula!
The starting may not always be pleasant
I think Rachel had the most growth in the series. She went from a rich spoiled brat to an independent woman who is confident in herself. She built her life from scratch after she broke her marriage and left.
At the start, we saw Rachel working as a waitress – a job she hated. But she took it on to pay her bills in the real world. She didn’t go back to her parents and resort to her old habits. She worked. Although the starting was not pretty like she hoped for, she worked her way to the top. We must remember this, the starting will be hard, but we need to work our way through it.
Keep going after your dreams
Joey’s journey to his dream job was not an easy one. He had to encounter many failures, but he did not give up. Be it bad reviews in the paper, or getting written out from his show, Joey kept going. He did not quit. He improved his skills and in the end, he got the results.
Joey played many roles(Al Pacino’s butt, milk and lipstick commercial) before landing the big soap opera role, Dr. Drake Ramoray. We must adopt this keep going attitude in us. We must keep working towards our dreams. Likewise, we should not think of giving up just after a few bumps along the way.
It’s okay to be emotional and dorky
Ross showed us how it is okay to be a nerd. He was always proud of his intelligence. He followed his passion and became a paleontologist. The geeky paleontologist has also shown us time and again, how little effort can go such a long way in someone’s life. Be it giving Phoebe her first bike, missing his most anticipated interview to help Rachel, and the sweetest one, walking Carole (his ex-wife) down the aisle.
Ross showed us how these gestures can change someone’s day, even life. He did not let his indifference, squabbles get in the way. We can try to learn and adapt this into our lives.
For now, let’s keep waiting for the reunion and try to implement these lessons in your life. May the reunion be everything (and more) we hoped for!
