Independence Day v Groundhog Day

During the recent Independence Day celebrations that were all around us, the word or value that kept coming up for me was Freedom.  A value that seems to lose its meaning and impact as new, younger generations emerge.  While that topic is a whole other blog for sure, anecdotally I have experienced a serious lack in the understanding of what freedom means and how it impacts one’s life.  Freedom and its plural – freedoms – are simple, not easy to truly acquire and super easy to lose.

The opposite side of this is Groundhog Day. (Side note: this is one of my favorite movies and inspiration for a blog of long ago)  In the movie, Bill Murray lives out the same day over and over again, first suffering the repetition of it, later using its magical predictive ending for his personal, earthly gain through pleasures and wealth.  Later, he finally turns the corner and leverages the repetition to evolve into the next version of himself: a caring, talented, service-oriented man who falls in love.

On a smaller scale, if I just squint a little and stare into the work lives of others – those I connect with professionally and personally – I see humans living out both of these two very different days in their everyday lives. One embracing freedom, the other – security.

Embracing freedom can challenge you to learn new ways of being and doing and you risk change.  The road that change travels on is indeed a bumpy one though at times the journey can be smooth as well.  Eventually, those in the Independence Day fraternity smooth out their ride, knowing they are ready to grit their teeth and suffer days that aren’t the most lovely to be in.

Others are content to live the day-in and day-out life of Groundhog Day.  Repeating urgent, hectic and exhausting days that shockingly deliver the same outcome.  These days run together and, in the end, what is actually accomplished?  Usually it’s survival.  And in survival, the dream of security. Otherwise, hmmmm, take a moment and think of the last time you really accomplished something significant, something worth talking about that wasn’t based in frustration, anxiety, disappointment, stress.  

Preachy? Arguably, yes?  It’s what I see among all whom I encounter.  Within a short exchange, there are giveaways in one’s conversation that let me see the possibilities of where they spend their time: the freedom celebrated on Independence Day or the repetition in the movie Groundhog Day.  It’s really our choice as individuals which one we live in.  

How can you tell which one you don’t just lean into, but reside in a consistent and maybe constant basis?

1. Listen to your language and thoughts when exchanging with others.  Are you excited about the challenge you are experiencing or have recently conquered?  Have you had a new challenge recently?  
2. What are the words you hear on Independence Day? Parade-goers hear words and phrases like: hard, difficult, rewarding, surprising, uplifting, inspiring, fulfilling, never worked so hard in my life, ready to do it again tomorrow, can’t wait to get there, meeting so many interesting, smart, successful people, seeing a new role for myself, and the list goes on and on.
3. What are the words you hear in Groundhog Day?  Celebrants here might hear themselves using words and phrases like: frustrating, stressful, disappointing, depressing, they don’t know what they’re doing, everyone is upset with xxx, he/she is micromanaging me, management doesn’t care, I see myself leaving, I’m going nowhere here, I’m exhausted…and the list goes on and on.

Admittedly, not every day on the calendar is a celebration. In terms of these two though, you have a choice.  It’s binary.  You can choose to live in one or the other.  Those who live perpetually, or even just now, for the first time, in the spirit of Independence Day and freedom are saying yes to it. They’re saying, “I am going to find a way to get this for myself and others.”  

Those who spend time riding around in an old pickup truck with a furry quadruped at the wheel – a la Bill Murray – have left their destination up to someone or something else.  That leaves a lot to chance. Nevertheless, they also ultimately want it, otherwise why would they continue to live in it? 

You can get from one to the other by living in the present moment.  And making good, solid choices. Not necessarily gigantic earthmoving choices, just choices that point to a place you want to go, a place that connects to you and the values that govern you.  This seems simple and that’s because it is.  It’s just not easy.  Independence Day and Groundhog Day are celebrated once per year.  We live and work in one or the other daily.  So what’s it going to be this year hippo?  Fireworks or six more weeks of winter?  Hippos, they love setting off fireworks.

“Just how prepared are you for greatness? Just because 2024 is half over doesn’t mean you can’t make changes!  Maybe taking a deeper look makes sense.  What about a personality assessment?!  Here’s a link to discussing it right now!”