“How I Met Your Mother” brought the world many amazing things. It introduced us to Slap Bets, the Woo-Girl, Revertigo and a handful of other original concepts. More than that, this half-hour comedy brought us lessons in every aspect of life. It taught us that life is so much better with your best friends by your side, that it’s good to let loose every once in a while and that taking risks may not always work out in your favor, but the story you’ll have at the end of it will be worth it almost every time. But the most important lessons came in love and relationships. While Marshall and Lily might be the definition of Relationship Goals, it was Barney and Robin’s relationship that taught us the most.

Your best friend might just be the love of your life.

Barney and Robin hit it off from the very beginning of the series. It wasn’t in a friendly way at first (as shown by Barney’s first sentence about Robin being, “Oh yeah, you just know she likes it dirty.”), but a beautiful friendship emerged from that moment. Robin was the only one that thoroughly enjoyed “bro-ing out” with Barney, taking a genuine interest in suiting up, smoking cigars, drinking scotch and playing laser tag. They even bonded over the fact that both of them are notorious for cheating at Battleship. On a deeper level, they connected over their dysfunctional families and their not-so-happy childhoods. That’s enough to make anyone bond with someone else. It was no surprise when they fell in love with each other.

No matter how much you care for someone, it won't work if the timing is off.

After being broken up for some time, Robin realized that she still had feelings for Barney. She was terrified to make a move and risk ruining the tentative friendship that they had tried to rebuild, so her plan was to just ignore it. To her, ignoring the love she felt for him was a lot easier than putting herself out there again and getting rejected. It wasn’t so easy to ignore, however, when she and Barney shared that dance at Punchy’s wedding. She was just about to tell him that she wanted a second chance with him when his phone rang, and it was Nora on the other end of the line, giving Barney another chance. Rather than make it a competition, Robin set aside her pride and helped Barney win over the woman he wanted. That’s when Robin made an important observation: “If you have chemistry, you only need one other thing…timing. But timing’s a bitch.”

Just because you fall for someone unexpected doesn't mean it won't be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Even though Barney and Robin had been friends for years before they shared their first kiss, it still caught both of them off-guard when they realized that they had fallen for each other. Barney thought it would be a major violation of the Bro Code because of Robin and Ted’s past relationship. Robin wasn’t looking for anything serious. Neither of them were the relationship type. Despite those facts, they both committed to one another, and quickly fell in love in the short span of their relationship. They took some time apart to grow into the people that they needed to be, and found their way back to each other years later. It was just as unexpected the second time, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the best things to happen to either one of them. Barney and Robin both became better people because of their relationship.

When you really love someone, go all in. Don't hold back.

When Barney realized that he was still in love with Robin even though it had been years since their relationship had ended, he knew he had to do something about it. Originally, that plan was to ignore it and continue living life as he always did: running plays on random women that he met at the bar, sleeping with them once, and never seeing or talking to them again. It took meeting Tracey to realize that wasn’t what he wanted. That conversation forced him to recognize that what he wanted more than anything was to get Robin back. So he orchestrated The Robin. The last play that he would ever run. Once Robin realized what was happening- when she was standing on the roof of the World Wide News building- she was angry. She misunderstood the intention behind the play, thinking that it was all for one more night in bed together. But once Barney dropped down on one knee and presented her with his family ring, she said yes right away. No hesitation. At that moment, she knew just as much as Barney did that the love they had for each other wasn’t going away. It was forever. That’s what gave them both the courage to give it everything they had.