5 times Paul Rudd was the surprising life coach we all needed

On this day in 1969, a great miracle happened. Somewhere in suburban New Jersey, a baby-faced man first appeared in the world as an actual newborn baby. No one knew it yet, but the baby would go on to star in countless films and as a society of movie-goers, we’d all become very fond of him. That baby was Paul Rudd, and today is his 51st birthday. (Yes, he’s seriously 51 years old.)In celebration of his big day, we’re looking back on five times Paul Rudd was the life coach we all needed both in character and IRL. Because seriously, the man has surprisingly given us more life lessons than some of our actual friends and family members. Enjoy as we all celebrate the life of Paul Stephen Rudd.

1. When he offered sage advice from a surfboard

In the 2008 Judd Apatow-produced hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Rudd played Kunu (née Chuck), a very-probably-stoned surf instructor who provided guidance and support to guests of the Hawaiian resort where he worked, especially Jason Segel's heartbroken Peter Bretter. Offering gems of wisdom like, “The less you do, the more you do,” and “I don’t really believe in age or numbers,” Kunu’s main takeaway can be summed up thusly: “When life gives you lemons, say f*** the lemons and bail.” It’s not NOT good advice, right? We’ll take it.

2. When he danced like no one was watching

We don’t know when ‘Paul Rudd dancing in hilarious late night talk show bits’ became a thing, but we’re so glad it did. From this clip of Rudd having a lip sync battle on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to that time they did a shot-for-shot recreation of classic ‘80s music videos (below), Rudd is always down for a good dance break. There’s also this sweetly hilarious full-length dance scene from his show, Living With Yourself. Truly, Rudd has taught us all that life is better when you’re dancing.

3. When he reminded us how important sleep is

We all know that sleep is necessary for good overall, and mental, health, but so many of us struggle to get a proper night’s rest. It can be hard but sometimes, you have to stop what you’re doing, listen to your body and get the shut-eye you need. In case you needed someone to model this behaviour for you, here’s a video of Paul Rudd napping for over three minutes. If anything, it’s something strangely calming in these surreal times. Think of it as a form of meditation.

4. When he reminded us to see the good in people

In the 2011 film Our Idiot Brother, Rudd starred as a sweet but hapless man who accidentally wreaked havoc on his three sisters’ lives. While his character isn’t exactly someone we’d go to for advice, he delivers some heartfelt thoughts on how to treat others. “I live my life a certain way,” his character muses. “And that is, I like to think if you put your trust out there, I mean you give people the benefit of the doubt, see their best intentions, they'll want to live up to it. It doesn't always work out, clearly, but I think that if you do people will rise to the occasion.” Honestly, this is pretty level-headed and generous point-of-view.

5. When he inspired us all with an uplifting catch phrase

If you haven’t watched Paul Rudd on Hot Ones, please do it now as a birthday gift to him and yourself. The whole episode is great, but nothing is better than when Paul delivers this warm, heartfelt and totally meme-able message of inspiration. Look at us, indeed. Happy birthday, Paul![video_embed id='6018257259001']RELATED: Paul Rudd jokingly revealed his secret behind not aging[/video_embed]