Life lessons from The Office (US)

You're either an ardent fan of the show, resorting to re-watching it as a form of escape from everyday life or you haven't watched The Office at all, there's no in-between. If you're the latter, always remember "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" and it's high time you took the plunge. Here are a few potential life-changing lessons you could pick up from the show on the way.

THE POWER OF PATIENCE

If there's one thing Jim Halpert has taught us other than the realisation of our relationship goals or bizarre prank techniques on your co-workers, it's the importance of being patient in life. Time stops for none but it often sticks by your side, if you show a little faith, with its ability to shower you with the greatest of rewards. Look at Jim, spending every waking hour at the office watching the love of his life engaged to someone else. But it all turned out in his favour in the end.

SOMETIMES GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH

We are all familiar with the excruciating pressures that we have to deal with in order to comply with the ever-building expectations of being the best there is. Here's when people like Michael Scott come in. For instance, he might not be the brightest of the lot neither is he the best at his job, yet he always finds a way to make do. Even more so, he surprises us in his relatively productive occasions, for instance the time he managed to gain Hammermill as their supplier at the convention. I don't believe there's a better quote than "Well, maybe you should estimate me" by Michael when he heard he was underestimated.

FINDING FRIENDS IN THE UNLIKELIEST OF PLACES

Here's to the many times the office showed us the value of unforeseen friendships, starting with Pam and Dwight, who stood by each other through the toughest of times and shared cherished memories including the one where Dwight called Pam his 'bestest' friend. Moreover, the Jim and Kelly friendship dynamic showed us how often he was the only one who could manage Kelly's eccentric self and thus a friendship of mutual understanding bloomed, with them helping each other with advice every now and then.

THE BEAUTY IN THE ORDINARY

Lastly, the office shows us how we find the most precious of things among the ordinary stance of everyday life. The simplicity of the show itself, its setting being in the most boring of places, made it feel like it wasn't just TV but rather an overly accurate depiction of everyday life. The emergence of an epic romance in the conformities of redundant office carpeting, the formation of the unlikeliest of friendships among formally attired co-workers, the rollercoaster of experiences surrounding a spectrum of emotions and the realism of it all is what makes this show this special.

God knows, when they looked into the camera for the very last time we not only saw the characters bid their individual farewells, rather the actors themselves revealing unknowingly the realisation of just how much we were going to miss it. Fact: they were right. 

Veronica Gomes is a socially awkward sophomore. Feel free to trigger awkward encounters by reaching out to her at gomesveronica1997@gmail.com