For many people, spring break is a time of vacationing and tanning on a beach the farthest away they could get. For me, your local, lovable pal and Outlook writer, it was a time of binging. I binged Netflix shows until my eyes literally closed. Now that I have let you in on how cool I am, I’m going to share with you some of the life lessons I learned from my most recent binge: The Office.
“I am Beyoncé, Always.”
When talking to Michael Scott, Andy Bernard explains that he is Beyoncé because anyone who gets cheated on in the movie is the hero. So this makes Michael the Ali Larter (in reference to the 2009 film, Obsessed) in this case. But, about eleven seconds into this conversation, Michael lets him know he will always be Queen B. This mentality is important to carry into life. Be a queen. Slay all day and every day, even if someone thinks that you’re the Ali Larter.
Patience is key.
Jim Halpert is the picture of patience for so many reasons. He waited as long as he needed to for Pam Beesly to realize she loved him too. But on another note, he is able to pull off deceptively well thought out pranks on Dwight Schrute because he knows that slow and steady wins the race. Great examples of this would be when Jim puts Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O, or when Jim and Pam both trick Dwight into thinking he’s being recruited for the CIA.
We can all learn a thing or two from Jim’s patience in our everyday lives. Even though when we think of patience we think of Jim, it is important to mention Michael and Holly Flax. When she comes back from the Nashua branch, Michael is relentless in his pursuit of Holly and is able to win her in the end because he waited.
Exercising patience like these characters do is important in our lives too. We may have to wait and work relentlessly for leadership roles and positions and jobs or internships, but if we have patience, it will work out. All good things come to those who wait.
Theme parties are not just a college thing.
In college, no matter what anyone says, it was kind of important to have the perfect outfit for a theme party at some point. This feeling does not end once you have a bachelor’s degree. Whether it was a Christmas sweater, or the perfect party hats, everyone at the Scranton Business Park teaches how to carry this obsession with theme parties well into the future.
A friendship is the best foundation for love.
Jim and Pam show us so much in their love story, but I think first and foremost, it’s that being someone’s best friend is the strongest foundation for a future. They bond over inside jokes, special moments, and many, many trips to reception.
Friendships are so important in our everyday lives. These friendships can often times lead to loving relationships like Jim and Pam’s. But, even if they don’t, they purely show the importance of friendships.
Stay Safe.
As you watch the show, I feel like Dwight’s commitment to safety is super prevalent. As a volunteer sheriff’s deputy and part of a citizen’s group in future seasons, Dwight’s commitment to safety, although misguided sometimes, is steadfast. We can all carry this lesson into our own personal lives, by staying safe where ever we go.
We should care about ourselves—our health and our futures. So, safety is truly important in our lives as college students. We find ourselves in some pretty odd situations sometimes as college students, but remembering that safety is always first is a good place to start if we find ourselves in one of these situations.
I hope that you can take all the lessons from Dunder Mifflin that I have found and apply them in your own daily lives as well. As Michael Scott said, or maybe it was Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” So, get out there and start making a name for yourself that is as iconic as Michael Scott.
