Groundhog Day Redux

You might be stuck in an endless loop

Happy Groundhog Day! When I was growing up, today meant little to us (we still had school), it was just the tradition of watching a groundhog in Pennsylvania to see how much longer winter would last based on whether he saw his shadow.

FYI — he did see his shadow this morning, so six more weeks of winter are ahead. 46 days to be exact.

But since 1993, when the movie came out, Groundhog Day has changed meaning. The Oxford dictionary has added this to its Groundhog Day entry: “a situation in which a series of unwelcome or tedious events appear to be recurring in exactly the same way.”

We all have our daily routines, and routine brings a sense of security. You might think about changing things up, but not at the risk of disrupting your safety net.

A situation in which a series of unwelcome or tedious events appear to be recurring in exactly the same way

Then one day the rug gets yanked out from under you. You go to work, and shortly after you are being escorted out with your box of stuff. Or you try to login from home and can’t. Shortly after you get a text. “Sorry. Please return the laptop by the end of the week.”

You scramble. You try to bury your anger and fear. What now?

We spend much of our lives betting our future on the whims of someone — or something — else. We devote our time and energy and take away time from our families. Then we find out we were just an entry on a balance sheet, and now things are out of balance.

What’s next? The usual response is to look for another job. That’s what we know and what will give us the greatest opportunity to get back to that comfort zone. In other words, Groundhog Day.

Then we find out we were just an entry on a balance sheet, and now things are out of balance

In the movie, Bill Murray’s character does what he knows best over and over and over. But nothing works. It’s not until he changes his goals and leans into his discomfort that he finds his place, and tomorrow finally comes.

Many people — in fact, the majority of working adults — have thought about being their own boss. Because…bosses. But less than 10 percent of them ever make that leap.

Staying in that comfort zone is easier — until it’s no longer there. Then we just want to replicate it, even though by replicating that false sense of security we are also replicating the scenario that shoved us into the cold.

If this sounds familiar, maybe it’s time to lean into your discomfort. Explore your options. Stop looking for the easy path, and take a chance on yourself. It’s not as hard as you think.