7 Relatable Life Lessons We Can All Learn From ‘Stranger Things’

When you’ve grown up in the 80s, there’s nothing strange about Stranger Things. It’s like an ode to your childhood, with references that this Generation X’er can appreciate. In binge watching seasons one and two, I’ve come to realize that this quirky Netflix series brings profound life lessons, appropriate for people of all ages.

Listen to your gut.

In season one, Joyce, played by Winona Ryder, is the desperate mom searching for her missing son. While everyone tries to convince her that he’s dead, she continues to follow her gut even if it leads her down some weird paths. Our gut intuition is the only compass we need in life. Follow it and you’ll follow your sacred path, in life and business.wp_*posts

Find your crew.

Reminiscent of the 80s classic, the friendship of the Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas will take you back to the Goonies, E.T., and The Breakfast Club all at the same time. Your crew of misfit friends are the people who will give you the kind of memories that you smile back on 30 years later.  

wp_*posts

The 80s were the best decade EVER.

While I may be biased, this statement is still very much objectively true! Watching Stranger Things is like going in a time capsule where you can appreciate the clothing style, culture, and music. This was an era of cultural innovation. Many of the websites and apps you use now were founded by individuals who grew up playing with Ataris and hanging out with friends, all without the use of cell phones or social media.

wp_*posts

Cherish that crazy friend.

In season one, Dustin has a charming moment where he references Eleven as their “crazy friend” and in episode 8 of season 2, we realize just how much that “crazy friend” is needed. Those are the friends who will go the distance, fearless of consequences, and when you have a gang of monsters trying to kill you, that crazy friend may be the only one with the guts to save everyone’s lives.

wp_*posts

We all have our own powers.

Find it, tap into it, and honor it. It’s easy to get caught up in the world of Stranger Things and believing in monsters is one leap of faith that is not difficult to do. If you grew up watching campy horror movies like The Gate, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Ghoulies, House, or Phantasm then you don’t blink an eye at how outlandish the storyline is in this Netflix series. You believe Eleven has powers, very much in the way Drew Barrymore had powers in Firestarter. The symbolism is not lost on me. We ALL have our special abilities. We just need to tap into whatever our personal magic is.

wp_*posts

Create your own family.

There’s a difference between “family” and “relatives.” Family include those people who you share an untouchable kinship with. Relatives are people who are related to you by blood. We can’t choose our relatives but we can choose who is in our family. Towards the end of Stranger Things, you realize that Officer Hopper is more than just the smart cop, he’s the father figure for all of the kids. Taking care of Eleven and treating her as his own could be a spinoff series all on it’s own.

wp_*posts

Anger can be a prison if you allow it to be.

It took Eleven two seasons to learn that anger can keep you stuck in a prison of your making. In life and in business, anger is an emotion that can be harnessed for good AND bad.