It’s 2018 and I am going out on a limb to say Groundhog Day the motion picture has eclipsed Groundhog Day the holiday in cultural significance. The movie, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, depicts a meteorologist stuck in an endless 24-hour loop that begins with an alarm clock blaring I Got You Babe every morning.

The film has become synonymous with never-ending and pointless repetition, which is why I have been using February 2nd (Groundhog Day) as a gentle reminder to find the mistakes and pointless repetition in my life in past projects. In order to do that I ask myself, if I could do it all over again:

  • What worked?
  • What didn’t work?
  • Am I expecting different results from doing the same things over and over?
  • What would I do differently?

After all, if you’re stuck in a Groundhog Day, how will you ever innovate? Constantly starting from square one is, as a friend so eloquently puts it, a “total time-suck” that keeps us away from our broader missions and core values.

I hope you’ll join me in this new holiday tradition. February 2nd should no longer be referred to as Groundhog Day. Instead it should be Groundhog Day — a day of recognizing the repetitive things that limit you…and also those that sustain you.