Happy Groundhog Day; It’s Time to Get Out of Your Rut

Yes, today really is Groundhog Day. This is the day that the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, pokes his head out of his hole. If he sees his shadow, he is scared back down for another six weeks of winter, if there is no shadow, it will be an early spring.

Where I live in Atlantic Canada, we don’t put much stock into the folklore. Winter is here to stay for until at least the end of March.

Can you remember the 1993 classic “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? In this story, the weatherman Phil Connors (played by Murray) gets stuck in a loop. He lives the same day, over and over and over.

It is not until he learns to break out of his patterns and take risks to grow and help others , that he is released from his pattern of drudgery.

I was on a call with a woman a few months back and she admitted that she had lived the same year twice. She arrived at work in the morning, did the same tasks, greeted the same people, and spent her off-hours exactly the same way.

One day repeated itself, until her realization was that her life had become years repeating patterns.

Now there are a lot of positive things that can be said about establishing daily routines and practices that lead to our betterment. I have had a morning journal practice that I believe is beneficial in so many ways. You might have an exercise regime, or a daily reading habit, that compounds into wonderful returns.

Unfortunately there are many more routines that keep me from taking risks, from stepping out and trying new things. I choose what is safe instead of the impulsive. I am content to live another year, exactly like the one before it. Pretty soon, I have a collection of them, like pearls on a string.

Is this you too?

In the last little bit, I feel like I want a disruption. I am ready to break the chain and take some chances; to try something new. I want to step out, say yes where the comfortable thing is to say no.

This year, I have started writing online AND, I have let people know about it. This has been scary for me, because it lends itself to easy criticism. I am now thinking about creating and teaching some online classes. Each of these things requires a different skill set.

I think I want to go on a vacation, alone…this feels like a break in the chain. It feels like a little disruption.

What do you want to do? What are you going to do that breaks up the monotony of Groundhog day? You know, we are 100% responsible for our lives, and the choices that we make. We can choose to always take the safe road, or we can choose to be wild women and step out of our comfort zone.