7 Life Lessons I Learned From Finn Hudson

With Glee's tribute to Cory Monteith's beloved character Finn Hudson on the sad horizon. Here are seven life lessons that I learned during his brief time on Glee.

1. Accept Other People For Who They Are

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Over the course of the series, Finn has had to learn a lot about acceptance. He went from a jock who stood on the sidelines as Kurt was tossed in the dumpster to a man who stood up for a transgender student's right to play the part that was right for her gender. One of Finn's biggest lessons was learning to accept other people for who they are.

2. "Loser" Is Just A State Of Mind

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In "Pilot", Finn uttered the famous line: "We're all losers." It sparked a movement. Well okay not really. It did, however, show that being a "loser" is a state of mind. A popular jock can view himself to be a "loser" as much as a the kids who like to make jazz hands in the choir. It's as long as you continue to see yourself as a "loser" in a negative light that it leads to pain.

It's okay to be a "loser" because really at one point or another we all are losers.

3. It's Okay To Take Time To Find Your Calling

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Finn had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. Absolutely no idea. He knew that he wanted to be happy with whatever it is that he ended up doing. Ultimately, though, he had no idea. (Anyone remember his grand acting dreams in Season Three?) He got kind of down on himself after getting discharged from the Army. It was, however, the path to the what would have been his future.

Sometimes, you need to take time to learn what you want to do with your life. It's okay. Through taking that time, Finn realized that ultimately he wanted to be a teacher. So it's okay to take your time because YOU need to be happy with whatever path you take and no one else can tell you otherwise.

4. Own Up To Your Mistakes

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Finn had a tendency to not think before he spoke in cases where his temper was riled. It was definitely a pretty big character flaw for him. I can name three major instances of this happening.

His anger lead him saying derogatory things to Kurt ("Theatricality"), accidentally outing Santana ("Mash-Off"), and letting the "r" word slip out in regards to Sue Sylvester's baby ("The Role You Were Born To Play"). Those were really bad moments born from rage and being so blinded by anger that you don't even consider the consequences of your actions.

Finn did, however, own up to each mistake. He apologized to Kurt by defending him against bullies dressed in a red shower curtain. He did Girl Music Week in glee club and brought the divided New Directions together in order to apologize to Santana. He also apologized to Sue, though she did not choose to accept his apology.

You need to recognize when you mess up, then you need to try to fix it the best you can. It may not always work. You may not be forgiven. Owning up to your mistake, though, is a huge step.

5. Do What Makes YOU Happy Not What Makes You Popular

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Something that Finn struggled with was being happy versus being popular. He enjoyed the protection that popularity afforded him due his status as a straight, handsome jock. He also loved to sing and dance in glee club, which hurt his social standing.

It was something that he definitely struggled with throughout season one. Did he want to be popular or did he want to be happy? In "Mash-Up", he briefly chose popularity over happiness by picking the football team over the glee club. Kurt even slushied himself so that Finn would not get in trouble with his jock buddies. Finn was able to stand up for himself though by telling Tanaka that he wanted to do both. He liked football but glee made him happy too. After that incident, he stuck with glee club because it made him happy.

For the most part, he decided to not care (too much) about what other people thought of him for that. Ultimately, he knew where his real friends were.

6. It's Okay To Laugh About Your Faults

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God bless Cory Monteith but that man could not dance. Someone, I think it was Glee's choreographer said that the dancing made him think Cory had a back problem. He did try. He even improved a little bit over the show. He still could not dance though.

Finn, as a character, knew it and accepted it. He even took jokes about his lack of dancing skills in stride with a smile and laugh. Why? He knew that he wasn't going to be the best at everything. He knew his dancing was really bad but it never dampened his enthusiasm. You need to know your faults and accept them. You need to learn to laugh about them because you're not perfect.

That's okay.

7. Love And Don't Stop Believing

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This is so corny. I know it is. I honestly do think that is the most important life lesson that was left to us from the character of Finn Hudson.

You need to love. You need to love others when its hard. You need to love yourself when you don't want to. You need to love your friends (even though your best friend knocked up your girlfriend and made out with another one). You need to love your family. You need to love the person you are with (even if she is a "controllist").

Love is hard but you need to do it. People have faults. They will make you scream, tear your hair out, or sing an angsty song. Still, these people, who cause you to do these things, are also the people you love. Even if they drive you crazy. So you need to keep on loving them.

Most importantly, never stop believing in them because deep down they won't stop believing in you either.