The one where F.R.I.E.N.D.S gave us career lessons

6 friends, 1 coffee shop, and an epic story! Yes, I am talking about the legendary sitcom called 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.

For so many years, FRIENDS (TV Show) has been an integral part of our lives. Phrases like "How you doing?", "She is your lobster" and "We were on a break" are now part of our every conversation. But, aside from memories, this series also gave us career lessons which we can adopt in our life to become even more successful. So, let’s take a look at the lessons we can take from each character of this fan-favorite

series.

𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲: 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Joey always dreamt to be an actor. However, the journey was not easy for him at all. He had faced constant rejections. He played every single odd role he got (Remember the Al Pacino incident?). It took him a long time and perseverance and the encouraging words of some amazing friends to get his defining role of Dr. Drake Ramoray.

In the same way, getting your first job or following your passion is never easy. You will face a lot of difficulties, challenges, and hurdles every single minute. You will have to wait for a long time to get that right job. But, like Joey, you also have to be patient in this period and keep learning, or as we say at Smartifier “Growth Mindset, my friends!”

𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞
Ross was a really good paleontologist. But, his work ethic was not very admirable. He gave boring lectures, was always late for his class, and got tricked by his students to give them extra marks. However, the main issue about Ross was his lack of professionalism. Starting from having an affair with Charlie, to shouting at his colleague for a mere sandwich to finally going out with his student Elizabeth, he has done it all!

In our work, it is not only enough to do the assigned tasks. Rather, stay in your boundaries and keep your personal and professional life separate. Otherwise, you might not get as lucky as Ross and may get fired.

𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡
Rachel loved fashion. Unfortunately, due to a lack of experience, she initially had to start as a waitress at a coffee shop. She didn’t enjoy making coffee or serving people which showed in her lack of ever getting a simple order correctly. However, the minute she got a job at a fashion house, she excelled in her role, proved herself, and later even scored a job at Ralph Lauren.

This teaches us to always play to our strengths. Find your ikigai and build yourself on it. As Benny mentioned in the current hit series, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒕, “You should always play your line, never his. You play what's best for you.”

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐫: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Chandler had a high paying job (which I still cannot name). But, he was not content with his career choice. Though he was scared initially, he finally got the courage at the end to quit and start doing something he truly loved.

This teaches us, it’s never too late to start working on our passion. The hardest part is to show that little courage for starting the job.

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚: 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭
Monica was a very competitive person. She wanted to win every single game she participated in. While sometimes, she did get carried away doing this; her winning attitude is something everyone should adopt in their life.

Let’s get it straight. Life has become a race and you need to survive. And to survive, you need to compete and believe you can win. So, next time you are participating in a business competition or giving an interview for a job, take the competitive spirit of Monica along with you and win it!

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐛𝐞: 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
Phoebe had a really terrible childhood. Her dad was never around. Her mother killed herself. She was homeless and living on her own in the streets of New York at the age of 14 ( You were probably watching Pokémon at that age). However, she didn't allow her past to define her. She did every odd job she was offered and ultimately became an amazing masseuse and a part-time singer ( Ahh Smelly Cats!). What really matters is that she didn't give up and got through that horrible period of her life.

There will also be many times in your life when you fail. Perhaps, you lost a huge competition or you couldn't get your dream job even after months of preparation. However, one failure cannot define your entire life's hard work. So, instead of whining, get up, and start your next battle. Always remember, if Phoebe could do it, so could you!

10 years, 236 episodes, 5192 minutes – a lifetime of memories! So, let’s end this article with the hope that you guys will achieve your dream career and we all will finally get a reunion of these 6 amazing characters in 2021!