Groundhog Day

Originally written by Christian Swan on March 23, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting at Whole Foods with my dear friend Debbie Johnson. I learned about her new book, A Pocketful of Seeds, and we exchanged ideas about ways that we wanted to create positive change in our communities. 

Because I was already at Whole Foods, I decided to buy some groceries following our meeting. As I was checking out, the cashier asked, "is there anything new happening in your life?" Intrigued by his question, I explained that I had just had an encouraging meeting and that I was looking forward to growing my private counseling practice. Curious about his life, I returned the question to him. "Nothing new here," he said, "every day just starts to feel like Groundhog Day." He went on to explain to me that he had met another individual who had also described her life as "Groundhog Day" that morning. 

Nearly two weeks have passed since this exchange occurred, and I have struggled to stop thinking about it. I have felt saddened by this individual's description of his life as the "same thing every day," and yet remember times in my life when I felt I would never break out of my dissatisfying routines and habits. 

Before I continue, I want to add that I do not think having a life structured around routine is necessarily bad. I eat two eggs and an apple every morning for breakfast. It's simple and reliable and makes me happy. What would be very unsettling is if I felt trapped by this routine. We've all been there, right? I'm talking about that feeling that you have no control over the trajectory of your life...the feeling that makes even your best efforts seem without purpose...the feeling that no matter what you do, you will be in the same unhealthy relationship or job or stuck with the same unhealthy habit forever. 

We've seen the movie (or maybe the most recent episode of Mindy Project?--anyone?) where the individual relives the same day every day until some conflict is resolved. The lead character doesn't have any control over when his/her life will resume and begins to lose hope until finally--tomorrow comes. While these scenes are certainly entertaining, they possess a quality that our real life does not--powerlessness. These characters have no power over when "tomorrow" will come. 

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW, IN THIS MOMENT, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR FUTURE. 

What sort of change are you seeking in your life? Is it something small like waking up fifteen minutes earlier every morning? Or maybe it's something larger like a job or relationship that takes joy out of life. Sometimes change can feel so overwhelming that we don't know where to start. 

When considering change in your life, start at the finish line. When you picture a "changed" life for yourself, what do you envision? Take some time to write it down and imagine all of the details of this changed life. Next, begin to think about the first small step that would help you get to this goal. And if that step seems too great, think about the smaller step that would help you get there! If creating change still seems too overwhelming, consider speaking with a professional counselor or coach. Working with an objective individual can help you to figure out what is keeping you back from creating effective change in your life. But regardless of how you get there, remember that change IS possible, and that YOU already have what it takes to make it happen.