HIMYM: Life Lessons We Can Learn From Barney | ScreenRant
Barney Stinson is How I Met Your Mother's most iconic character. He instantly stands out of the crowd because he always seems to be in a good mood. He never worries about anything and he doesn't let his emotions get the best of him. As his arc develops and we learn more about his past, we see Barney for who he really is: a kind man who has been too hurt to let himself open up to authentic relationships.
Barney is the king of magic tricks, catch phrases, and random rules, many of which are written down in the famous Bro Code. While much of what Barney says can be instantly disregarded as silly, we should give him some credit. He knows more about life than it seems at first sight.
10 Challenges Are Exciting, Not Scary
Any time Barney is faced with a challenge, he gladly accepts it by belting out "challenge accepted!". Often, no one has even brought up a challenge of any sort, but Barney rushes to accept it anyway. Enthusiastic, driven, and competitive, Barney is the person we should emulate any time we are faced with an obstacle in life.
Most of the challenges he accepts have to do with picking up women. He wore overalls, a dress, and talked in a baby voice. To some extent, he also viewed his serious girlfriends, Nora and Robin, as a challenge.
9 Dress To Impress
"Suit up!", Barney tells Ted. While it's not exactly necessary to wear a suit anywhere, Barney does have a point. People often make judgments based on first impressions, so it's important to always look sharp. We can't all look flawless in each and every photo someone takes of us like Barney does, but at least we can dress nicely.
Even though Barney is obsessed with suits and even sleeps in a suit, there have been times where he wasn't wearing one on the show. He looks kind of weird in other outfits. It's true what Barney says: nothing suits him like a suit.
8 Don't Lie To Your Parents
In attempts to make his mother happy, Barney hired a fake wife and son to accompany him to family dinners. The fact that he can't even be honest with his own liberal and forward-thinking mother is one of the saddest things about Barney. When she finds out that Barney has been lying to her all along, she is relieved as she never liked her "grandson" and "daughter-in-law" anyway.
Keeping things from your parents will leave you feeling alienated and empty. It's best to be honest. And if they can't accept who you are, that's their problem to deal with.
7 Help Your Friends When They Need It
Ted might be agreeable and down to earth, but when it comes to friendships, Barney is actually a better guy than Ted. When Marshall and Lily were breaking up, he flew to San Francisco to get Lily back. He got Marshall a job when he was financially struggling and helped Robin record an awesome CV. If it wasn't for Barney, Ted would never work on the GNB skyscraper, which is a pretty big deal.
Barney refuses to take any credit, though. He expects nothing in return at all. He might act egotistical at times, but he is actually the most selfless character of them all.
6 Be Willing To Grow And Change
Barney from season 1 is a guy who likes one-night stands, laser tag, and keeping things to himself. Of all the characters on the show, he does the most growing and changing. Ted couldn't make up his mind about who he loves for the most part and even after meeting the infamous mother, he ends up right back with Robin.
In the course of the show, Barney has worked on bettering himself the most. The work happened off-screen and it was obvious that changes were scary for him. Rather than running away, Barney faced changes bravely. Be it from Quinn moving in, to coming to terms with his past, Barney always did what was necessary.
5 Confront Your Childhood Issues
Barney grew up without a father and he always felt empty because of it. He even convinced himself that Bob Barker is his father just to numb the pain. After being caught touching things in the Natural History Museum with Robin, Barney finds out that his biological father is alive and well.
His father is a suburban dad with a perfect family. One time, Barney comes to his father's house and wants to take the basketball hoop down. What follows is one of the most emotional scenes in the show. In a screaming match, Barney asks his father why wasn't he there for him growing up. It's important to confront the pain that stems from childhood and it's even better to tell it straight to those who abandoned you.
4
3 Don't Work Yourself To Death
Barney has a job, but no one actually knows what he does, which is one of the running jokes on the show. Barney tells his friends that it's important to have a CV in which you sell yourself as confident, driven, and independent. When it comes to actual work, though, Barney thinks it's best to do as little as possible.
Real life doesn't work that way, so we should take Barney's advice with a grain of salt. One thing is true, though: Barney always looks so great because he is never burned out from working too hard.
2 Money Won't Buy You Happiness
Barney works at a corporation and the running joke is that he doesn't actually do anything there. Doing things gets you fired. Barney has a high paycheck and lives in a man-cave of a condo. Ted's apartment is among the most financially unrealistic ones in the history of sitcoms, but there are no qualms whatsoever about how Barney affords his swanky flat and the huge flat screen TV.
Barney might be wealthy, but he has very little to show for himself in the beginning of the show. Happiness stems from meaningful relationships and family. Barney came a long way from season 1 and progressed the most as a character.
1 Don't Let Go Of Your Inner Child
It might seem childish that Barney loves to play laser tag - he sure is mocked for it by his friend group from time to time. But Barney is onto something here. It is crucial for our well being to nurture the playful, curious, and child-like side of us. Every time he manages to bring someone along, be it Ted, Robin or Robin's father, everybody gets really invested in the game. Barney takes it the most seriously, though. In "Murtaugh", he gets really aggressive towards the kids who play there and ends up TPing the place.
Some might call Barney's obsession with playing a game immature and ridiculous. It's those people that need to reconnect with their inner child the most.