Last week, in tribute to the popular series "Girl Meets World" (which just aired its final episode on the Disney channel), I reviewed the life lessons from season one and part of season two that have been influential in my decisions during my college and adult life (See "The Most Important Lessons That 'Girl Meets World' Taught Me Part One"). This week, I am continuing along that vein and discussing the lessons from the latter half of the series that are relevant for everyone, no matter your age. "Girl Meets World" taught me:

12. Don't let failure deter you in the pursuit of your goals and dreams.

In "Girl Meets Rah Rah," Riley, who tries out for cheerleading every year, but never makes the team, refuses to give up. Instead she endures the three grueling days of try outs, then, when she is still cut from the team, she works hard to convince the coach to add her on as an alternate. Alongside Riley's cheerleading debacle, her father and history teacher, Cory, teaches the class about Edison's many failures on the path to inventing the light bulb. The episode shows how perseverance and being driven, even against the worst odds, can eventually bring about success.

13. The benefits of talking to people whose beliefs are different from yours.

In "Girl Meets Belief," Maya, Riley's best friend, picks up a five dollar bill from the ground at school and decides to keep it. Riley tells Maya that this is wrong and ends up asking about Maya's belief in a higher power, which leads Riley and her friends into a discussion about religious beliefs. The group of friends does not hold the same beliefs and each of them is hard pressed to find out why/how their closest of friends can believe something so different to them. Throughout the episode, they find out that though they should not push one another to believe the same thing, their discussions with one another help them to find their own beliefs and help to open their eyes to other systems of thought.

14. Don't settle for damaging gender stereotypes.

In "Girl Meets STEM," co-ed lab partners are asked to complete an experiment that involves two steps. One partner is to complete the first step, which is simply dropping a marble in a solution, while the other uses science to figure out how to turn the mixture back into a clear liquid the next day. Riley notices that every girl in the partnership is dropping the marble, while every boy is resolved to do the scientific and analytical part of the experiment. Riley refuses to drop the marble, standing up against the gender stereotype that only men can accel at STEM subjects. At the end of the experiment, only Riley and Farkle had a clear liquid, because Riley was the only girl who did not drop the marble and the resulting sludge could not be changed back into its clear component. Their science teacher reveals that this was the point of the experiment: to show that both genders in the classroom are equally capable and to warn against the gender divide in the STEM subjects.

15. Another important secret of life is found in what you can do to help others.

In "Girl Meets Money," Cory reveals another secret of life in people helping other people. This lesson prompts Farkle to confront his father about what his large corporation is doing to help the less fortunate. His father agrees that more needs to be done on his part and starts a charitable organization, giving money away to a worthy cause of Farkle and his friends' choice. It serves a reminder of what all of us can be doing for others when we focus a little less on ourselves and a little more on doing good in the world.

16. One of the most important things you can have in life is a solid and stable support system. It's important to stick together with and be there for the friends that are meaningful to you.

In "Girl Meets High School," the central friend group's differing opinions threatens to tear them apart in the face of a new environment. At the end of the two-part special, the friends realize that they need to stick together now more than ever, realizing the importance of a support group in the face of great change.

17. It's important to balance staying true to yourself with positive self change.

In Season 3, Maya faces many identity struggles when she realizes that the positive influence of Riley and her family may have changed her into an entirely different person, erasing some of her uniqueness in the process. In the culmination of these struggles, "Girl Meets True Maya," Maya reverts back to her rebellious side, scaring the rest of the group. When Maya faces people from her past, she has the chance to react violently or cause damage. While she does end up vandalizing a park area, she covers the walls with positive messages and tributes to the group of friends who has impacted her life so much. While Maya has changed for the better, she still holds on to her own unique identity, both of which are equally important.

18. By contributing to the world, even though your singular efforts may be small, you are helping the larger picture. Becoming cynical and discouraged about all of the horrible things happening around the world isn't going to help.

In "Girl Meets The Real World," the ever positive Riley is forced to debate in class that the world is innately evil. In her research for the assignment, she becomes extremely cynical about the world and acts out against her friends. Simultaneously, Riley's younger brother, Auggie, helps to clean up the beach with their mom, becoming discouraged when he realizes how big of a problem the condition of the beaches is. Both learn that their small contributions of positivity can have an impact on the world and decide that they each want to do their part to help out.

19. Not everyone has to like you.

In "Girl Meets She Don't Like Me," Riley is upset when a girl at school does not want to become her friend. Riley spend the episode trying to control everything in her life, as well as the lives of her family members. She eventually realizes that not everything is in her hands and that she needs to accept what she cannot control. She learns to control what she can while either ignoring or accepting what she can't, which is something that I think everyone struggles with, no matter what your age.

20. Silly disagreements are not worth hurting the people you care about.

In "Girl Meets Her Monster," Riley disobeys and disappoints her mom over wanting to continue to binge watch a show and ignore her obligations. Instead of apologizing, Riley claims to be "entitled" to make her own decisions now that she is in high school, causing an even deeper rift to form between the two. Eventually she apologizes, realizing that she does not want to hurt someone she cares about over something insignificant.

21. Sometimes the best gifts are not flashy or obvious.

In "Girl Meets a Christmas Maya," Riley and her friends engage in a Secret Santa party. They realize that what at first look like lame or insensitive gifts are actually well thought-out and meaningful gifts. Also, Maya is shown flashbacks of her past Christmases, during which she realizes that the greatest Christmas gift she ever received was the transfer slip that allowed her to go to school with all of her close friends. Although Maya was too young to appreciate this at the time, she realizes that the ability to form a stable support system wt her school was more important than any cool toy she ever could have gotten.

22. A home, filled with the friends and family that bring love and light to your life, is the most important thing of all.

In the final episode of "Girl Meets World," Riley's mother, Topanga, has a job opportunity in London that would move her family across the globe. Eventually, Topanga decides to remain in New York, because she couldn't imagine herself and her children not having the safe spaces and support of their circle of friends surrounding them. I'm glad that the series ended on this note, reminding us all of its core values of friendship and family.