Life Lessons I Learned From Binge Watching The Office
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Life Lessons I Learned From Binge Watching The Office

From Dunder Mifflin with love

33
Life Lessons I Learned From Binge Watching The Office

"One more episode and then maybe I'll get up and ya know... do something with my life?"

That's what we tell ourselves as soon as that, "Are you still watching?" button shows up and we see our zombie-ish reflections in our black laptop screens. To everyone with a working computer and a bank account, Netflix has become an escape from responsibilities and a super reliable wingman. Between all the bullshit we deal with as college students and young adults, its good to find time for an episode (or 20) to take the edge off. We all have that show. The show we watch while nursing a gnarly hangover when we should really be catching up on MyMathLab assignments. The show that makes you feel incredibly lost and empty when it's over like you just lost a family member or something. For you, that show has probably popped into your head already. For me, that show was, still is, and probably forever will be The Office. I took my sweet time to finish this show so I could take in all of its glorious, deadpan humor and all of the incredible moments that came with it. Yes, this show is absolutely hysterical but it also mixes dry humor with real life lessons that make you laugh, cry, think, and then laugh some more. Lets get this list started.


Play is More Important Than Work (sometimes)

Being in college, grades and trying to figure out "what's next?" are of the utmost importance. Sure, the key to being successful in school and life, in general is being able to juggle a bunch of different things at once but sometimes if you focus on one thing too much, it has potential to backfire. I learned that lesson the hard way (yikes). Push your desk chair in. Put the pencil down and step away for a minute. If you don't take a little time to look at where you are and reward yourself for all the things you've accomplished up to this point, you miiiiiiight go crazy. We're still young. It's ok to be spontaneous. Crazy, right? Take a drive to the beach. Stuff your face in the dining hall. Have an olympic competition in your dorm room. Like these guys.



Goodbyes suck (all the time)


One thing we never really get used to in life is saying goodbye. Do they hurt? yes. Are they sad? Without a doubt. But how can we move on to bigger and better things if can't say goodbye? Then we're just stuck right? As much as it hurt Michael to say goodbye to Dunder Mifflin, he knew it was what he had to do in order to move on to bigger and better.


"The one" might be the person you least expected it to be.


Anyone who's ever watched this show knows that Jim and Pam are the couple of the century. One of the things that their relationship so special was watching the journey. From the beginning, Jim had to watch the love of his life be engaged to another man he knew she wasn't happy with (even though she didn't realize it, that's just how much he loved her). All he could do was wait and wait and wait. Don't we all know what that feels like? For four seasons, America watched these 2 start off as best friends and co-workers, and watched a love for the ages unfold right before our eyes. Five seasons later, we saw a rather rainy proposal, a Niagra Falls wedding, and a killer wedding day flash mob set to "Forever" by Chris Brown.


Never Be Afraid to Take the Leap


Let's go back to number 3 for a minute. Yes, Jim patiently waited for his dream girl and admired her from afar for almost half of the show but can you imagine what would've happened if Jim never told her how he felt? That fateful moment at the casino night left us on a cliffhanger spiraling into the sadness of the unknown (wow, that was deep.) Not knowing what's gonna happen next is scary. We find ourselves being so afraid of rejection that we never say what we really feel. Because of this, we miss out on amazing opportunities and live the rest of our lives thinking "woulda, coulda, shoulda, but I didn't." and by then its too late. All it takes is a split second of confidence and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results you get (or not.)


Whenever There's a Fire, Save The Cat


Dunder Mifflin's resident cat lady, Angela, taught us to focus on the important things. Cats.


Fake it Till Ya Make It


If there was one thing Michael Scott was good at, that thing would be being terrible at everything. But did he let that stop him from being the world's best boss? No. It's completely fine to have no idea what you're doing sometimes. As long as you have a plan of action (kinda) you can figure out the rest along the way. What fun would life be if everything went our way all the time? Making it up as you go as apart of life. Embrace it. Burn it into your brain. Become one with it.


Friends are the Family You Get to Choose. Do It Wisely.


One of the most beautiful things about this show is seeing relationships between the characters grow and how they all became apart of each other's lives in some capacity. No matter how screwed up things got, they always had each other's backs through thick and thin.The Office taught me about love, friendship, and making moments last because we don't know when the moment will end. It's crazy how attached I became to this show. It was almost like the characters became my friends and watching an episode felt like I was checking up on them and seeing what's going on in their lives. You know how a soccer mom feels when her kid scores their first goal? That's what watching this show feels like and I hope after reading this, you'll watch it and understand what I'm talking about.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned.

70771
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

132386
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments