HOW TO ESCAPE GROUNDHOG DAY: STOP CHASING AND START SERVING.

Bill Murray delivered his most iconic performance in the 1993 comedy classic “Groundhog Day”. He also delivered more than a few deep lessons for life. Beyond the biting comedy of his acerbic tongue and sarcastic judgement of everyone he encounters, it’s the profound familiarity of Groundhog Day that resonates with audiences.

Every day in life we’re trying to influence an audience - our employees, our boss, our partner, our clients. But we sometimes get so focussed on what we want and so good and saying what we think they want to hear, we forget that it’s who we truly are that attracts what we want (or if we’re lucky, what we actually need).

It’s who we truly are that attracts what we want (or if we’re lucky, what we actually need).

The transformation of obnoxious and narcissistic weatherman Phil Connors teaches us how to get unstuck from the rut of our own behaviours and get what we want most in life.

Despite the seemly frivolous premise of a man living the tragedy of living an average day over and over, writer/director Harold Ramis gives us a message that's actually quite Zen Buddhist.

After a number of attempts to end his life and escape the neurotic repetition of life stuck in a rut, Phil falls for Rita and decides he has something to live for. Turning the time-glitch of Groundhog Day to his advantage, he learns everything he can about Rita and chases her every day. He has a plan - learn and relearn. Fail and fail again. Do things better next time. Push more, agree more. Keep trying. Keep chasing. 

It’s a tactic we’ve all tried and it seems quite logical. It’s very diligent and conscientious and focussed. But it doesn’t work.

The harder Phil tries to impress Rita, the more she pushes him away (she slaps him more than ten times). The more perfectly researched and practised his approaches are, the more uncomfortable she feels. All the elements are there - he says all the right things and claims to like all the things she likes… but something is missing.

Finally, Phil stops trying to impress Rita and instead spends the day making an impression on his world. He stops chasing and starts serving - using his unique power to help everyone in Punxsutawney, spreading love and joy. He lets go of the one thing he wants and starts being the one thing that only he can be.

And only then, does Rita fall for him.

As filming progressed, Murray came to understand this as the most simple choice a character has to make at any moment in their life - to serve yourself or to serve others. Harold Ramis would give him detailed performance notes for a scene and Bill would simply ask “Good Phil or bad Phil?”

Good Phil serves the world. Bad Phil serves himself.

So what can we learn from Phil?

We all have something we want and someone we’re trying to influence. Every day. Actually, pretty much every moment of every day we do whatever it takes to influence others and orchestrate the outcome we want. And often the harder we chase, the further we push that outcome away.

This applies to any audience you interact with - the people in your team, your leaders, your boss or your employees. And especially to your potential clients. Great things only happen when we stop chasing and start serving.

How to influence your world and escape your Groundhog Day:

1. Stop trying to be what you think they want, instead be the one thing that only you can be.

2. Before you walk into every scene in your life, ask yourself: “Good Phil or Bad Phil?"

3. Make an impression instead of trying to impress.

Serving instead of chasing helps us be the best we can be. And it’s who we are - who we “be” - that connects deeply to the hearts and minds of those we wish to influence, attracting great people and great thing to us. 

But there’s something even better than getting what you want. You might get what you need. 

Phil did get the love he wanted from Rita, but it was the love he gave to the world that got him what he needed - To be free from the rut of living Groundhog Day over and over. 

He woke up the next morning and finally, tomorrow wasn’t today. 

And that’s a good life.