Five Life Lessons I Learned from “The Bachelor” Franchise
As most people know, I am a diehard member of Bachelor Nation. From the bizarre contestants to the “never before seen dramatic endings,” from the tears to the roses, I love every aspect of any Bachelor franchise show.
While many people criticize the show for being scripted and unrealistic, there is a reason that this dating show franchise has lasted for more than 30 combined seasons; at its core, the shows deal with real human emotion and interaction. It showcases some of the most common mistakes that we all make, not just in our dating and love lives but also in our general, everyday lives as well. And sometimes, all it takes is seeing those mistakes from an outside perspective, like on “The Bachelor,” to help you learn how not to repeat them.
Therefore, without further ado, here are my five life lessons that I’ve learned from watching “The Bachelor/Bachelorette.”
Do what you love.
Part of this lesson I learned from noticing the weird jobs that some of the contestants claim they have, like “free spirit” or “chicken enthusiast.” While these usually come off as a little silly and I don’t think the contestants put a lot of serious thought into picking something to cover up the fact that they are unemployed, it reminds me that life is full of opportunities and that you should be doing the things you love in life.
Stay confident.
The worst thing you can be is insecure about yourself. This is true every day of the year but especially holds true when you’re in a relationship, like the contestants on the show. We see it time and time again; as soon as a contestant starts to feel insecure about who they are as a person and their relationship with the bachelor/bachelorette, the relationship starts to suffer before it could even build a good foundation. Other relationships forming around the contestants can make it hard to stay confident, but you’ll notice that the more confident the person is in themselves and the relationship, the longer they last. Love yourself and be confident in the person that you are before you try to love someone else.
Drink at your own risk.
This lesson is brought to you by the unlimited amounts of alcohol that these shows provide. Alcohol can do some serious damage to your body so make sure you know what and exactly how much is going in. Also, the saying goes that alcohol is a truth serum, that the emotions that come out when you’re plastered are typically how you honestly feel. While being honest is always the best policy, it’s generally better to do so in a sober mindset. You don’t want to say something you will end up regretting.
Make time for a little goofiness.
The contestants that America tends to like the most, and the ones who usually end up with the proposal, are the ones who can laugh at themselves and do not take either themselves or these dates too seriously. Do you think that JoJo cared that one of her guys couldn’t throw a touchdown pass during the football date? Probably not. Do you think that Nick cared whether or not someone could throw shot put during the date with Olympic athletes? Probably not. But what they did seem to care about is that the people vying for their heart could go with the flow and that they are not afraid to try new things. Therefore, moving forward, don’t be afraid of making a fool of yourself on the next first date you have. The contestants on “The Bachelor/Bachelorette” surely have.
Put your heart out there.
Most of us probably find putting your heart out there hard. We all, at some level, fear rejection. The problem is that not a whole lot happens if you choose not to put your heart out there, especially when it comes to pursuing love like on “The Bachelor.” A relationship won’t work like that. But, if I’ve learned anything from this franchise, it’s that putting your heart out there can actually be a position of strength. When you put your heart on the line, when you give it to somebody, and you tell them that it’s theirs to keep or break, when you expose who you are and all you are to somebody – that is one of the best strengths that there is.