I’ve never understood Groundhog’s Day. Every year, I mention this to someone and someone explains it to me and I understand it for a while and then I’ve forgotten again by the next year. Because there are always six more weeks of winter on February 2, I never understand if that’s the outcome we’re supposed to be hoping for. Does six more weeks count as an early spring or a long winter? My brain simply won’t allow me to retain this information.
What I do understand is the movie with Bill Murray, whose character is trapped repeating Groundhog’s Day for years. We can all get to a point where we’re doing the same thing every day, especially in February when the days are short and cold. The last few years have made this even more true. COVID has taken many things from us, and spontaneity is really low on the list. But it’s still on there. It hasn’t been easy to try new things or even return to some of the things that used to inspire us and make us happy. On a personal level, it’s difficult for everyone. In the workplace, it’s led to mass apathy. The curtain has been lifted, and a lot of people simply don’t see the point of toiling away miserably to make money for other people anymore. We keep hearing about the great resignation, but we also need to talk about the people who aren’t quitting, but just don’t care anymore. Several people have told me lately that they are phoning it in and feeling resentful every day. These are not lazy people; they’re just feeling the weight of doing small things all day now that they’ve been confronted with the big picture. It’s time for society to stop expecting people to live meaningless lives and to be grateful for the chance to do it.
If you’re in a rut professionally, it can help to reflect on why you do what you do. Think about what you actually want to accomplish or experience in life, and evaluate how the work you’re doing can help you to get there. If it can’t, maybe it is time to seek out something new. If you own a business, think about new directions for growth, and think about how you can actually help to lift up your employees. If you work for someone else, make a list of the pros and cons of your job. There are more opportunities for job switchers than I ever remember seeing. If you aren’t happy today, lay the groundwork to do something different tomorrow.
Substance and Style 