Every Day is Groundhog Day
It’s February. Here in Buffalo, that means snow.
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, it means turning to an adorable rodent to predict whether or not we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter.
An annual tradition hailing back to 1887, the Town of Punxsutawney wakes early every February 2nd to determine whether the most famous groundhog in the world, Phil, has seen his shadow.
If he has, it’s “more Winter.”
If he hasn’t, it’s “an early Spring.”
Spoiler Alert: He saw his shadow. 😅
Groundhog Day and Creativity
But I think fondly of Groundhog Day for a different reason.
To me, Groundhog Day means a return to creativity.
In one of my favorite books, “Keep Going!” by Austin Kleon, Austin tells the story of Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) in the 1993 comedy film, Groundhog Day.
If you haven’t seen the film, Phil is trapped in a time-loop, forced to relive February 2nd over and over again.
And he resents everything about it.
But what starts as Phil’s curse becomes his salvation.
Knowing that he must relive the day over and over, he eventually lets go of his frustration.
Instead, Phil begins to use the time to help others, learn new skills, and express his creativity.
Thus, he fills his day with meaning and embraces the time he has.
What is Today’s Opportunity?
For those of us not trapped in an 90’s film time-loop, our days can feel equally restrictive if we let them.
But I try to use Phil’s example to rework my thinking.
True—each day of our lives is quantifiably the same amount of time.
Equally true—each day of our lives can be:
An opportunity to share our creativity with those around us.
A chance to grow through the process of learning.
A privilege to improve our lives one small step at a time.
What will you do today, and tomorrow, and the next day to improve yours?
Recent Finds
Austin Kleon — Every day is Groundhog Day (Video) | A brief, 4min reading of Austin Kleon’s book “Keep Going!” from the author himself. The chapter he reads specifically, “Every day is Groundhog Day,” is one that I look back to often. It’s a poignant reminder to learn and be creative every day.
Unpublished Podcast with Amie Mcnee — Stop Quitting Before Things Get Easy (Podcast) | A wonderful episode about managing creative expectations and how the efforts we make as creatives in our craft become easier over time as we repeat them consistently.
Quote of the Week
“Yesterday’s over, tomorrow may never come, there’s just today and what you can do with it.”
— Austin Kleon, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
