GROUNDHOG DAY Are You Reliving the Same Day Over and Over?
By Jessica Sitomer
Phil, played by Bill Murray, is sick of reporting on Groundhog Day, but as the station’s weather man, he is forced to report on the “weather forecasting rodent” that has a holiday named for it. He thought four years of this was bad, but it gets worse when the day after Groundhog Day he awakens to discover that it is Groundhog Day again… and again… and again.
You may have heard me say this before, but MOST people in the entertainment industry do 3-5 things over and over to generate work… and that’s it. Even though they want different results they do the same things because that’s what they know, that’s what’s familiar, and that’s what the people they surround themselves with do. The beauty of the movie Groundhog Day is that Phil realizes that with each day, he gets the chance to do something a little differently. Sometimes, it just takes the slightest change. Other times he has to make a bold change. And at the end of the movie he has achieved his goal.
If you want to achieve your goal, it’s time to make some slight and some bold changes in your routine. Life can feel like Phil’s experience in Groundhog Day if you do the same things over and over.
What happens when your alarm clock goes off? Do you have a routine? Is it working for you? If it is and it’s bringing you all of the success you desire, then stop reading and forward this to someone you know who needs it. But if your routine has got you spinning your wheels, then here are some new actions to add and improve on what your doing:
1. Turn a task up a notch. Some action tasks that “everyone” does can be effective especially when you do it just a bit differently than everyone else. Choose a task like submitting your resume and brainstorm with 3 people how you can turn it up a notch. One of my clients put a beautiful waterfall scene in the background of her resume. It was faded so as not to distract from the content of her resume, but was visible enough to get a lot of attention. People wanted to meet her just to see who this woman was who put the waterfall on her resume. It was just a slight tweak and not right for every classification, but for hers, it worked.
2. Make a brand new to-do list. That’s right! Take those 3-5 things that you do over and over and scrap them for a time, maybe a week, maybe a month, maybe it will turn out to be forever. Come up with new actions to shake up your routine and look at your business from a new perspective.
3. Add something that stimulates you. Some people don’t allow themselves to do actions which they don’t feel will directly impact their career success. Meditation, surfing, tennis, going to the beach, reading a book, are all things that take your mind to another state, and in that state, new ideas pop up. Ever try to think of a name of a movie and you can’t remember it and then out of the blue a day later it pops into your head? This is the same concept. You may not think lying out under an umbrella, listening to the waves at the beach can directly advance your career, but that’s when new ideas come to you because you’re creating the space for them.
4. Hang out at a new place. This isn’t Cheers. Not everyone has to know your name. Go someplace new and meet new people. Your hangouts can be as routine as your job search, so shake it up.
5. Adopt an action from someone else. Read an article or listen to an interview of someone successful in the industry and commit to doing at least one action that they discuss that you’ve never tried.
Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity and Phil was starting to go crazy. You don’t have to. Even making one of the five suggested changes can help you see growth!
And Action!
1. Choose one of the 5 suggestions to put into action this week.
2. Mastermind with some friends about what kind of changes and tweaks you can make.
Phil had to learn his lesson the hard way. Don’t wait until you’re at the point of utter frustration like Phil. Make some small changes now which will give you the confidence to make bolder changes!