Have you ever felt yourself getting complacent? Going through the motions and making your way through you daily routine. But just checking boxes on your to-do list is not the most exciting way to live life. Many people in this instance would resort to making a life change and sometimes that is necessary. However, there may be something to be learned from our favorite TV show, The Office. If we can learn one thing from Michael Scott, it is that you can bring fun to the mundanity of life! While many people find Michael Scott to be insensitive, intrusive, and incapable, there may be something to be said for his child-like look on life and his need to bond heavily with those around him. Let’s take a moment to learn to view the world through the eyes of Michael Scott.
Need for Friendship
Many people view their job as just that, a job. You clock in, you clock out and the means to pay the bills. On the other hand, Michael Scott has the hardest time sitting working at his desk all day. He yearns to talk to his colleagues and make friends with those around him. While many find this distracting, it does help to take brain breaks when focusing hard on your tasks and it can help alleviates burnout. Building friendships at work could increase the morale of the office and you may enjoy the workday more when the people you work with are friends. When you close yourself off and choose to just focus solely on box checking you can become complacent with the day in and day out motion.
If you choose to include and talk to others when accomplishing tasks, it could make them more fun to accomplish and more rewarding. Creating a fun space within your work zone can make spending your time there each day more worthwhile. Making the rate of your own inner complacency decrease.
Child-Like Look on Life
I did not want to label this section immaturity, because while it seems this way it is so much more. Remember when you were a kid and you would play house, mermaids, or cowboys, and it was so wildly fun? It was so exciting to escape reality and to do something spontaneous! But as you grow up and retain more responsibilities that part of us seems to fade away. Michael Scott brings back that same child-like wonder that so many of us have lost to The Office. It can be so hard for some of his coworkers to stand him at times, but in the end they really do understand he isn’t doing it for himself, but to lift up the morale of the office. He makes jokes, even if they are terrible, to lift up the office and his team members. Even when the branch was about to go out of business to keep Stanford open Michael made sure everyone was distracted, happy, and worry-free by playing games.
What could your work day look like if you brought some of that childlike wonder to your office? What if you felt happier at work and perhaps even enjoying your time there? A little bit of silliness, laughter and playfulness can help eliminate the mundanity of life.
Necessity to Make Others Happy
Michael Scott aims to make those in his workplace happy because he wants to be happy. Some people say this can be viewed as selfish, however as the Regional Manager, Michael wants to boost his office morale because he understands what that can do for everyone’s happiness. When your day only consists of punching in and out without much stimulation throughout the day, this complacency can transfer to your personal life as well and it can make you feel stuck. Michael realizes by making his staff happy, even if on occasion its false hope, he is lifting their morale at work ultimately causing employees to stay employees. For example, he always makes a great deal out of everyone’s birthdays - whether it’s just because he wants to eat cake or not - it does give his employees the opportunity to gather and have fun!
Be Yourself
Out of all of Michael Scott’s many personality traits, his best would be that Michael is undeniably himself. Not all of us can say that every aspect of our life gets our full personality. We frequently change how we present for certain people or certain situations because we fear being judged or not taken seriously perhaps. Michael lives his life without the fear of judgement, maybe a little too much sometimes. But as he says, “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”
Being authentic is the best way to relate to others. What if you stopped trying to meet expectations that are not truly a reflection of yourself? Consider being true to yourself and watch just how happy you could be!
How The Personality of Michael Scott Can Change Your Life
While we talked about how Michael Scott’s methods can be conducive at work, it can also be related to most aspects in your life. Imagine viewing your marriage with childlike eyes and include occasional spontaneity, put forth the effort to make one another happy each day, and create a friendship within your marriage. Be mindful and intentionally add fun into your relationship, otherwise complacency can creep in. Instead bring fun to the mundanity of your life, whether it’s at work or at home, because Michael Scott shows us even the simplest job such as selling paper for a living doesn’t have to be boring. Don’t get so caught up in the responsibilities of life that you forget to live it!
A self-described geek, Maria Laquerre-Diego is a CEO and Owner who is committed to increasing access to mental health services and breaking down the stigma surrounding therapy services. As a therapist turned CEO, Maria has developed a unique perspective when it comes to mental health and the barriers surrounding mental health treatment. Influenced by her time at New Mexico State University in the Family and Consumer Science department, and University of New Hampshire’s Marriage and Family Therapy department, Maria has turned her dedication to giving back and supporting future generations of therapists. In addition to supporting mental health providers, Maria takes an active role in addressing the continued stigma of mental health services through the use of pop culture – everything from movies and television shows to superheroes and Disney characters. Maria has spoken about mental health at several local events, has served as an officer on professional boards and has provided training to clinicians all over the country while maintaining her and her family’s roots as Aggies! Outside of the office, Maria can be found spending time with her family and loved ones, exploring the world through travel, and creating cosplays for herself, her husband and their two little ones. Maria is always happy to talk about Star Wars, Marvel and mental health and can be contacted through her practice website www.anewhopetc.org
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