As I begin watching my 13th run of "Friends," I was thinking about one of my favorite characters, Rachel Green. From finishing the last episode to restarting the pilot, I could really see how much Rachel grew and how she changed over the 10 seasons. She is more than just the ditzy girl we thought she was from the start. She is smart and goes after what she wants. During the seasons of "Friends," Rachel Green went through a roller coaster of good times and bad times, and she taught us some valuable lessons along the way.

1. Trust your gut.

When we first met Rachel, she had just ran out on her dream wedding, or so she thought. She ran away from everything she had and wanted to begin a new life. No more money, no more constant shopping and thankfully, no more Barry.

Rachel felt that she could do more with her life and did not want to settle and marry rich. After her wedding day, she quickly learned that was the best decision she could have made. Rachel finally discovered she did not want to be just a shoe anymore.

2. Celebrate every victory, no matter how small.

The moment Rachel got her first paycheck from Central Perk was so exciting for everyone involved, including me. It might not have been the big check she wanted, but she was ecstatic nonetheless.

It's these little milestones that get you excited to reach bigger and better things. Without this first paycheck, she may have never ended up as successful a woman she did. While working her dream job, might I add.

3. Work hard for your goals.

Who would have thought a girl who didn't have any work experience and just happened to like fashion would end up working for some of the biggest fashion stores and designers? Well, that's exactly what happened for Rachel.

She worked some bad jobs, all for her final goal, which she finally meets. Without her hard work, she would have never gotten her super cool jobs in the fashion world.

4. Be confident in yourself

I'm sure we all can think of certain moments where Rachel does something so embarrassing that makes us cringe. I'm thinking, cheerleading for Joshua, kissing her future boss in her interview, putting a layer of beef and peas in her English trifle, the list just goes on.

If I did any of these things, I don't know what I would do. I definitely would not have gone back and confronted the people I did this awkward thing to. She always addressed it and came out looking even cooler than before. Rachel believed in herself and always held her head high with confidence, no matter how embarrassed she may have been on the inside.

5. Shopping fixes everything

It is called retail therapy for a reason. This pretty much explains itself.