“Groundhog Day,” the movie starring Bill Murray, is one that will go down in the annals of cinematic greatest for its hilarious cycle of February 2nd repetition. While the film featured Murray’s vast myriad of responses to being roused by the same rise-and-shine message brought us a lot of laughs, I can only image how frustrating it would be if we actually woke up to face the same scenario each and every day.

How crazy would it make you to know that nothing new was going to come your way Every.Single.Day.? Would you face the mornings in a multitude of crazy ways or would you accept your circumstances and go through the motions over and over again in the same mundane manner? Sometimes I think we all feel like we are trapped in a Groundhog Day pattern and that pattern can take the positive out of our perspective.

To avoid the lunacy of lacking variety and negative impacts of uneventful outlook, I want to challenge you to make each day Groundhog Day Again… In a Good Way.

I think the best way to establish a good Groundhog Day cycle is to find a practice that opens your possibilities to success, variety, or joy. Having that one exercise or routine that establishes your day as a “good one” will diminish the doldrums of any repetition.

If you can’t think of any ways to shake up your wake-up, consider some of these Groundhog Day Go-To Starters:

• Journaling: Jot down 3 things you are grateful/hopeful/ready/working for…
• Deep Breathing Exercises: Breathe in the newness of the day; Breathe out the fear, anxiety, or frustration of starting again
• Enjoy a A Calendar that introduces something new each day (i.e. Word-of-the-Day, Joke-of-the-Day, Quote-of-the-Day)
• Look in the mirror and tell yourself 5 things you love about your life.
• Do 15 minutes of crunches, leg-lifts, squats, planks, jumping jacks, or jogging
• Make a point to eat a good breakfast (Keep a few options for getting your day going on hand to help avoid breakfast boredom)
• Wake up your partner or kiddos by telling them 3 things you love about them or are excited to do with them.

Hopefully, adding a routine to the start of morning will make any Groundhog Day situation feel like you are ready to be successful in a variety of ways. By adding something you know will freshen your attitude, you avoid the trap of a tedious start. Giving yourself something to look forward to, even though it’s a repeat practice, is a good way to celebrate any day, even Groundhog Day, again and again.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. If a giant rodent being pulled from a tree stump every day is part of your new routine, you might need to rethink your routine.