This morning is Groundhog Day in the United States. It is a day that is celebrated on our calendar as the day we allow a rodent from Pennsylvania (Punxsutawney Phil) dictate what the weather will be for the coming 10 weeks. And just typing that out there and rereading it makes me realize just how crazy of a notion the entire premise is, and yet we celebrate.
For me, today is also an opportunity to celebrate the other closely associated celebrity with Groundhog Day; Bill Murray.
Bill Murray has dozens of fantastic movie credits to his name, but for me is best know for playing weatherman Phil Conners. Groundhog Day was released in 1993 and had moderate box office success. Thanks to cable TV, the movie is a regular feature year round.
I love that movie. There are many lessons to be learned from it; from life lessons to team building training and sales training. A simple comedy, I believe it has deeper meaning. Maybe it’s not just the movie, but it is Bill Murray himself.
If you are trolling around Netflix and are looking for something to watch, check out The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From A Mythical Man. Bill Murray has never taken the typical path during his career, which is maybe why so many people like him. He still seems approachable, despite being a mega-star. In The Bill Murray Stories feature, they chronicle some of the wacky encounters people have had with Murray over the years. To suggest that Murray is some new aged sage of wisdom might be a stretch, but they do a great job of drawing a connection between the way Murray seems to live his life with great ideas on how we should try to live ours.
Murray doesn’t actually do a sit down interview for the show. They catch up with him at a baseball game one night, but most of the show is accounts from others and some interviews conducted with Murray over the years. In one of those interviews, Murray offers up a simple nugget we should all strive for: “Make a connection and do right.”
The secret to Bill Murray is just that; make a connection with people in your life. Too often, people do not embrace their life. I know I’ve been guilty of that way too often at times. Work will overwhelm you, stress with a spouse or kid can consume you. But we cannot, should not go through life on auto pilot. Life gets messy, but that is a part of what makes it great.
Bill Murray reportedly walked up to someone and started eating their french fries. They recognized him of course, and yet he kept eating. As he walked away, he told them “No one will ever believe you.” Maybe Bill was just hungry. Or maybe he’s found the secret to life by living life in the moment and creating memories. Live life with joy. A reporter interviewed for the movie commented that Bill Murray creates joy everywhere he goes. I would love nothing more than for people to say that about me.
Finding that joy in life is the entire premise of Groundhog Day, the movie. In the movie, Phil Conner’s is stuck living the same day over and over again. You don’t have to be stuck living the same day over and over again to work on improving your life, learning from your mistakes so that you can move on and find happiness.
And breaking news as I write this blog, Phil didn’t see his shadow. Spring is on its way.
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