Why We Shouldn't Fear Mistakes

“Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car. So sue me... ” - Michael Scott, The Office, U.S. Season 4, Episode 1 “Fun Run” 

If you don’t know, The Office (US) is the best show ever made in the history of television and the world. Is this an overstatement? Maybe… but I really don’t think so! 

I love The Office. It is my go-to TV show. Had a bad day? Watch The Office. Need a good laugh? Watch The Office. Want some background noise? Watch The Office. Need some life advice? Watch The Office.

Let me set up this scene where we get this hilarious quote. Michael Scott is the Regional Manager of a paper company called Dunder Mifflin. Michael Scott is that boss that tries to be cool, funny, and be everyone’s friend, but usually cannot accomplish these goals. While he is a great salesman, no one is quite sure how he became manager and he often spends his day distracting others. It makes for a great show!

In this particular episode we see Michael hit one of his employees, Meredith, with his company car in the company parking lot. Once everyone in the office finds out that Michael is the one who hit her, and once his boss finds out it was on company property and with his company car, Michael starts to worry about his mistake. 

That is when we get this typical Michael quote:

“Guess what, I have flaws. What are they? Oh, I don't know. I sing in the shower. Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car. So sue me... No, don't sue me. That is the opposite of the point that I'm trying to make.”

It is almost as if he is saying “So I spilled my coffee,” or “So I lost my keys.” He tries to blow it off as not a big deal. 

While this moment might seem like a typical Michael mistake – making mistakes is a part of life. We cannot stop mistakes from happening. So it is not the mistake that matters, but it is how we respond to the mistake that matters the most.  

Have you ever made a mistake? Of course you have. It is a part of life! What I have noticed though, is that we often look at mistakes as something to hide and move on from. We don’t allow them to be what they really are - learning opportunities. 

At the Pixar office, a major part of their week is sharing how they failed and what they learned from that failure. That’s how we got amazing movies like Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and Cars! Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios) writes about this in his book Creativity, Inc.:

“Mistakes aren’t a necessary evil. They aren’t evil at all. They are an inevitable consequence of doing something new (and, as such, should be seen as valuable; without them, we’d have no originality).”

Guess what! You’re going to make some mistakes today. And probably some tomorrow too. 

But guess what else! That is a wonderful thing. 

Mistakes happen when we try something new or a new way of doing things. They are a wonderful tool to help us learn how to do things better the next time.

When you make mistakes today (not if, but when), instead of being upset try to think of things you can learn. Write them down or talk to a friend about it.

Challenge yourself to find one mistake you made each day and learn from it. If you are anything like me, that may sound like a horrible idea. I used to hate making mistakes. I’ll still wake up in the middle of the night and think of that wrong answer I gave in 5th grade English class or that weird way I ordered my food at Chick-fil-A last week. But mistakes are opportunities. They are opportunities to grow, learn, and change. 

Begin learning how to be thankful for your mistakes. See them not as an evil, but as a consequence of doing something new. Be thankful for your mistakes, because they show that you tried something  different and something original. 

And if you feel like it was too big of a mistake to learn from, just remember that it could be worse… you could have hit someone with your car!

Elizabeth Anne-Lovell is an
Associate Pastor at
Generations of Grace
in Lebanon, TN.