Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Sponge! Bob! Square! Pants! Whose respectful virtues expand past the TV? Sponge! Bob! Square! Pants!
If there’s any show that taught us as many life lessons as our parents did, it’s Spongebob. From persevering through failure to loving life, there are plenty of ways our spongy dude and his nautical buddies have shown us how to be our best selves. Let’s dive into a few of them:
1. Relationships take effort
We should be emotionally aware of what our partners are going through. It’s important to remember that relationships aren’t a one-person responsibility. It requires effort and love from both sides. Whether you’re taking care of finances or a baby clam, it’s the same idea.
2. Don’t be ashamed of who you are
Much like Squidward put on a façade as a fancy restaurant owner to impress his rich brother, Squilliam Fancyson, many of us pretend to be something we’re not. Money, career and titles are all aspects of our lives that we shouldn’t flaunt in order to dazzle others. The real you—the truth—always comes out. Don’t be afraid to embrace it.
3. Group work can be tough but oh so rewarding
If you went to Cal Poly, then you worked in at least 1,000 group projects. Let’s be real, we’ve all had complaints about group work. Like Squidward’s band, group work can feel dysfunctional and impossible. However, if you step back and have a little faith in each other, your group will put out a great project together.
4. Anger blinds us
Sometimes we’re pushed past our limit, so much that anger is the only lens through which we see others. More often than not, this lens blocks our vision from all of the positive love and kindness that is right in front of us (or rather behind, in Patrick’s case). All we need to do is rub our eyes.
5. Starting is the hardest part
This is easily the most relatable Spongebob moment in history. No matter how daunting your workload seems or how intimidating that cover letter seems, starting it is as hard as it’ll get. Even if you get very little done, there’s no harm in celebrating that little victory!
6. Treat others like it’s their last day
This iconic episode where Squidward is under the impression that Spongebob will die after eating a pie bomb is golden. It’s golden because we see the rare, vulnerable and empathetic sides of Squidward. He makes sure that Spongebob has the best day ever because he may never see him again. Imagine if we treated others—and ourselves—like this every day.
7. Body positivity
We all need to have this experience in our lives. Patrick helped Spongebob embrace his difficult emotions full force on his pineapple rooftop. Spongebob yelled the same sentence over and over: “I’m ugly and I’m proud!” However, his attitude changed the sentence’s meaning. He went from a self-deprecating mentality to a proud, empowered one. Now THAT is impressive.
8. Never give up
Spongebob continuously failed his driving test but he never failed to keep trying. His determination and optimism in getting his driver’s license is something we can learn from. He never let failure deter him from his goal and neither should we.
Related: 10 Ways to Channel Carrie Fisher in 2017
Spongebob is truly an inspirational figure who we can all relate with at least a little. He and his buddies have been through a lot and their experiences are something that we can all learn from going forward.