Mike Wazowski and his work ethic

Gabriella (my 7 and half year old step-daughter) and I watched Monster’s University on Friday night. A girlie treat while dad was away and after Reuben had gone to bed. What a fun film! I just loved Monster’s Inc, it’s one of my favourite Pixar films, my favourite character being Mike Wazowski and after Monster’s University, I love him a little bit more. Why? His work ethic.

Here’s a monster that doesn’t expect to be given anything on a silver platter (because he never has been given anything) but he believes that with hard work and determination he can achieve anything. I could do with taking a leaf out of his book!

So after the film, I found myself talking Gabby’s ear off, telling her how great he was and what a great team he and Sully were. There are 2 main things that happen…*spoiler alert*

Mike wants to be a scarer more than anything else (a monster that goes into the human world to collect scream – the monster world uses scream like we use electricity) BUT he isn’t scary, you have to be scary if you’re going to make a human scream.
He and Sully (the big blue one who has had everything handed to him on a silver platter) get kicked out of Monster’s University and off of the scaring program.

So, he’s not scary. That is a knock to someone’s dream that few would overcome but because he has studied scaring in so much detail he is still the best scarer because he knows everything there is to know about it. As a team he and Sully pull off the best “scare” that Monster’s University has ever seen. They needed each other in order to succeed and this reminds me a LOT about Ken Robinson’s fantastic speech about education.

Secondly, you have to go to college if you want to be a scarer, right?

Wrong.

They start at the bottom in Monster’s Incorporated after they are kicked out of University. They become the best at whatever job they are given to do, in the mail room, then cleaners and so on, they move up through the ranks until they finally reach their dream. This is a “romantical thought” (to quote Mike) but that’s how it used to be and I have a feeling that more and more, we will see it happening again. I don’t have a degree in English (in fact I have a first class degree in Civil Engineering that I don’t use, except to make excellent train tracks and dens) but I still want to be a writer! And, who’s to say that with a good work ethic, one day I might be?

So, poor Gabby got all this in the ear on Friday night but I don’t think it will do her any harm to know how much I admire Mike Wazowski and his strong work ethic. If you want something, you’ve got to work for it. The “something” might not end up looking like you thought it would but the chances are you’ll be pleased all the same!

There, I love Mike Wazowski! Do you have an unexpected idol in a cartoon character?!

About Hannah Parker

Hannah is an ex-city girl turned wife, mum and step-mum living in a North East seaside town with a bad reputation. Hannah has been blogging for 2 years at Mums’ Days, where she documents her triumphs and tragedies of daily life trying to be a good mum. She has recently started a Directory of Giving Birth with over 30 stories all donated by members of the Mums’ Days community on Facebook. She will be carrying the baton in the TeamHonk relay from Newcastle to Alnwick in March!