He's Having the Day of His Life … Over, and over again
Why Groundhog Day is an Exceptional Work of Moral Fiction
Photo by Andy Sanchez on Unsplash
The Story Behind “Groundhog Day”
The movie “Groundhog Day” has been called an exceptional work of moral fiction. * *Ken Sanes, www.Transparency.com
How could such an amusing, simple movie elicit such accolades?
The movie “Groundhog Day” is about repeating the past. We see a character disconnected from everyday life played brilliantly by actor Bill Murray. Phil, an arrogant weather announcer arrives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day event at its source, the home of the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. But Phil (the weatherman, not the Groundhog) and the rest of the crew end up trapped in Punxsutawney for another night due to an oncoming blizzard. Trapped, not “until the storm passes”… trapped because this one day in Punxsutawney repeats itself over and over and over again like a broken record.
Realizing that every day is going to be exactly the same as the previous one before it, the main character goes through a range of emotions, from disbelief, to despair, anger to hopelessness and finally, acceptance. Sounds like the steps usually associated with grieving, doesn’t it?
If Phil does nothing different, events will repeat themselves every day exactly as they did on the first day he spent in Punxsutawney. But if he changes his behavior, people will respond to his new actions, new words, and the future opens itself up to all kinds of possibilities for change.
Phil asks, “What would you do if every day was the same, and nothing you did ever mattered?”
So, how is this a work of moral fiction? Well, think about how every day just like the previous one for you, in your personal life, in your work environment. What about that sameness is frustrating or hopeless? What about that sameness do you use to your advantage? What would you do if you got unlimited chances to ‘get it right’?
As with most of us, Phil’s life was filled with limiting thoughts and behaviors. It took the daily rewind of Groundhog Day to get his attention. The defining moment came when he asked someone, “What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.”
With that realization, Phil starts to live each day as if it were his last. Throughout every repeated day, he tries something new until he has learned to change what he doesn’t like and creates the life of his choice. At one point his co-worker tells him, “…you can’t plan a day like this,” to which Phil replies, “Well, you can, it just takes an awful lot of work.”** (The Wisdom of Groundhog Day by Sandra Nelson)
‘An Awful Lot of Work’ Can Be Creative Instead
Here are some ways to get creative rather than thinking of making changes as an awful lot of work. Using the methods below, Samples from the Creative Whack pack by Roger von Oechor, or ones of your own, pick a Groundhog task that’s yours and yours alone. You probably already know which one you’d choose.
o Change its name
If an architect looks at an opening between two rooms and thinks “door”, that’s what he/she’ll design. But if he/she things “passageway”, he/she may design something much different like a “hallway”, “air curtain”, “tunnel” or perhaps a “courtyard”. Different words bring in different assumptions and lead your thinking in different directions. What else can you call your Groundhog task?
o Simplify
Editor: “I like your book except for the ending.” Author: “What’s wrong with the ending?” Editor: “It should be closer to the beginning.” What can you edit out of your Groundhog task to make it better? What can you streamline? What can you simplify?
o Rearrange
Rearranging is one of nature’s prime methods of creation. The moving plates of the earth’s crust form new landmasses and surfaces features. Similarly, rearranging your resources can create new ideas. Try putting your ending in the middle, or the center at the top, or the outside on the inside or the left on the right. How can you rearrange things?
o Exaggerate
Think big. What if it was a thousand times bigger, louder, more complex, faster, better? How can you exaggerate your Groundhog task?
o Be dissatisfied
Dissatisfaction can be beneficial to the creative process. Otherwise you lose the push or prod you require to spot potential problems and opportunities. What are you dissatisfied with? How can you turn irritation into inspiration?
o Drop an assumption
Columbus challenged the Spanish courtiers to stand an egg on its end. They tried and failed. He then hard-boiled one and stood it on end. “That’s not fair,” they protested, “you broke the rules.” “Don’t be silly,” he replied, “you just assumed more than you needed to.” What can you let go of with your Groundhog task? What unnecessary assumptions can you eliminate?
o Solve the right problem
“I’m not returning until you fix it, “bandleader Count Basie told a club owner whose piano was always out of tune. A month later, Basie got a call that everything was fine. When he returned, the piano was still out of tune. “You said you fixed it!” an irate Basie exclaimed. “I did,” came the reply. “I had it painted.” Are you solving the right problem? Is there a more significant one you’re overlooking?
o Look somewhere else
Finding new ideas is like prospecting for gold. If you look in the same old places, you’ll find tapped out veins. If you venture off the beaten path, you’ll improve your chances of discovering new idea lodes. Remember: you can’t see the good ideas behind you by looking twice as hard at what is in front of you. Where else can you look for ideas with your Groundhog task?
o Do the unexpected
In 1334, the Duchess of Tyrol besieged Hochosterwitz Castle. As time wore on, the defenders became desperate: their last food source was an ox. The Duchess’s situation was also severe. Her troops had become unruly and she had urgent matters elsewhere. Then the castle commander had an idea that must have seemed utter folly to his men. He had the last ox thrown over the wall in front of the enemy. The Duchess interpreted this scornful message to mean that the defenders had so much food that they could waste it. At this, the discouraged Duchess quit her siege. Because the commander did the opposite of what the Duchess expected, he made her believe that the siege wasn’t working. What surprise tactics could you use for your Groundhog task?
o Dig deeper
“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it’s the only one you have.” (Emile Chartier) Don’t stop with the first right answer you find. Dig deeper and look for others. How do you keep a fish from smelling? Cook it as soon as you catch it. Keep a cat around. Burn incense. Cut its nose off. What good ideas are below the surface for your Groundhog task? What’s the second right answer?
o See! Hear! Taste! Feel! Smell!
Pay attention to a wide variety of different information. If you’re visually oriented, focus on the “sound” or “smell” of a situation. If you’re analytically oriented, focus on how something feels. If you’re intuitive, concentrate on the logic. What other senses can you use when performing your Groundhog task?
o Beware the unintended
In preparing for the Olympics, the coach of a leading crew team invited a meditation instructor to teach awareness techniques to his crew. He hoped that such training would enhance their rowing more effectiveness. As the crew learned more about meditation, they became synchronized, there was less resistance, and their stroked got smoother. The irony is that they became slower as a result. It turned out that the crew became more interested in harmony than winning. What are the unintended consequences (positive or negative) of deifying, eliminating or revolutionizing your Groundhog task?
o Ask, “What if?”
Put some magic in your thinking by asking “what if?” What if animals became more intelligent than people? What if we had mouths in the palms of our hands? What if people exuded a foul smell from every pore when they did something bad? What if we elected our officials using scratch off tickets? What offbeat “what if” questions can you ask about your Groundhog task?
o Loosen up
It’s not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about the important things. What might you take less seriously about this Groundhog task?
o Imagine you’re the idea
Imagine that you’re a parking meter. How does it feel when you’re fed coins? What is like to be “expired”? How could you be easier to use? Imagine that you’re a box of cereal on the grocery shelf. How can you be more attractive? What can you do to get the grocer to give you more space on the shelf? How would you feel if you were the Groundhog task?
o Find a pattern
Much of what is called “intelligence” is our ability to recognize order in the form of patterns. We recognize cycles (winter, spring, summer, fall), sequences (the order in which you dress each morning), processes (how to convert flour, eggs and milk into waffles), shapes (stars that make up constellations), similarities, (camouflage in nature) behaviors (etiquette on a crowded bus), and probabilities (the likelihood of throwing a “7” in Las Vegas). What patterns do you detect? How can you use patterns to deify, eliminate or revolutionize this Groundhog task?
o Imagine How Others Would Do It
What people do you respect for creative achievement? A leader in your field? A teacher? A parent? I aced my final acting exam in college, thinking like an “I Love Lucy” friend who could make anything funny. Now, imagine that one of these people is responsible for deifying, eliminating or revolutionizing this Groundhog task.
o Be Whacky
One day a new product design team got into a really whacky mood and made fun of their product. They were zany and off the wall. The meeting was a great success and many new ideas were generated. The next week, everyone was in a serious mood and no new ideas were generated. Moral: there’s a close relationship between the “aha” of discovery and the “ha ha” of humor. And being whacky stimulates your creative juices. What whacky things can you do to your Groundhog task?
In Conclusion
We really have 3 choices when it comes to the routines in our lives. We can embrace them, eliminate them, or revolutionize them. You don’t get to be wrong about which you choose, but you do get to choose. That’s the whole point.