Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day, Anyone?
Out of curiosity, I googled how long Phil, played by Bill Murray, was in repeat living the same day in the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day. The initial thought by Harold Ramis, the movie’s director, was that he relived the same day over and over for 10 years before he became worthy of Andie MacDowell’s character, Rita, and ultimately living into his best self.
Wow.
What about for each of us?
What does it take for each of us to stand up and live the life, professionally and personally, that we really want to live? What does it require of us to be leaders in our own right, whether in a formal role or in the choices and actions we take each day to live the life of our best selves?
There is a lot packed into those questions. Where do we begin?
One place that I dig into are the stories I tell myself about what is going on. Of course, if I am telling one story based on my own life experiences and everything wrapped up with it, then what is someone else telling themselves as we engage in the interaction we are having? Since no two people are alike, our stories aren’t as well.
As we tell those stories, our brain’s negativity bias naturally inhibits information, much like if we watch a movie and the curtain is pulled halfway closed. Of course, this evolutionary reality has kept our species out of danger by keeping us focused on what could harm us, but how does it play when it unavoidably creeps in our everyday responsibilities and activities? And, if we are each constructing our own stories, not only are we each seeing with half the screen closed, but we, as the author Jackie Kelm states in her book, The Joy of Appreciative Living, “are creating our life experience with our thinking; it is not happening to us.”
If we were to open that curtain, so to speak, what would a more fuller picture offer? And, since that other side opens to our positive, more appreciative stories, how would that impact our creativity, our ability to analyze, our ability to envision other possibilities as well as engage with our fellow teammates or employees, friends and family?
What would help you to build the muscles necessary to open the curtain to see a fuller, more complete picture?
Ask the following questions:
How do you build deeper gratitude in your life, each and every day?
What questions can you ask to open yourself to more fully recognize yourself and your possibilities moving forward?
Where is visioning your future stretching you beyond the stories in your head?
These are some initial tools that build those critical muscles. Grab your journal and start the conversation with yourself. This reflection will take you into your change, growth, and development enabling you to more effectively move to toward living your best self.