The Glass is Half Full in Punxsutawney, PA

Yes, it is Groundhog Day again. It is my favorite day of the year, as my friends and I make our annual trek to Gobblers Knob.

In 2013, in this very blog, I wrote about the movie Groundhog Day and its quirky realization that sometimes we get stuck in place.

But, while I love the movie, of course, the actual realization is in the celebration that takes place in Punxsutawney, PA on February 2 every year.  This year, February 2, 2014 will be my 39^th trek to Gobblers Knob, and, to me, the true message that is clearly shown in this small town in western PA on 2/2 every year is: “The Glass is Half Full.”

The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." The legendary first Groundhog Day trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year by a group of spirited groundhog hunters who dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club." Clymer, a member of the club, used his editorial clout to proclaim that Phil, the Punxsutawney Groundhog, was the one and only official weather prognosticating groundhog.

The groundhog idea and editorials gained momentum and newspapers across the country picked up the story… then TV… then the 1993 movie.  Today, Groundhog Day is a national event.

But the event is not nearly as impactful and inspirational as the amazing little town of Punxsutawney is itself. The citizens of Punxsutawney make every visitor welcome.  We wear groundhog hats, and groundhog gloves. We buy our friends and relatives’ groundhog salt and pepper shakers, groundhog cookie cutters, and groundhog mugs. Mahoning Street (the main drag) is alive with people from …yes… all over the world.  Trekkers are full of smiles, handshakes, comradery, and laughter. My friends and I spend hours on the streets meeting people, touring the Weather Discovery Center Museum, the Historical & Genealogical Society, the Chamber of Commerce, and visiting the creative, visitor-friendly shops. OH, and did I mention… enjoying the cool crisp air! It is always cold…. Always!   After all… IT IS February in western Pennsylvania.  It is this continuous glass half full mood, that clear realization that Spring will come that is the true crux of Groundhog Day.

While Phil is the charismatic national mascot for weather prognostication, it is Punxsutawney itself that is the star. Winter is a long season for many people. Why not find a way to have a great deal of fun for at least one day? Why not wrap some history with a prognosticating critter and make a phenomenon?     

Now, I am not a glass half full (optimist) or a glass half empty (pessimist) kind of person. I am a “that glass has 8 ounces of fluid in it (realist) person.  I see it as it is.  Groundhog Day is a celebration by a wonderful town that had an idea that has created a sensation.   

Lesson learned – it just takes an idea and a glass half full attitude!  Happy Groundhog Day!

 Here are some pics from past Groundhog Days! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Me with Danny Rubin, screenwriter of the movie "Groundhog Day"

 

 

Perseverance Shawshank Style

Over the Holiday season, I watched, yet again, one my favorite movie of all times, the Shawshank Redemption. I know you’ve seen it. The main character is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He eventually escapes from the prison and starts living the life he always dreamed of. Ok it’s a tad “Hollywood” but it has numerous great lessons about our professional goals.

And, I mean numerous:

• Geography of the soul! Remember Zihuatanejo? Over the course of his 20 years in Shawshank, Andy never once forgets Zihuatanejo the Pacific city “with no memory.” We all have that place, that geography of our soul where we are happy. Where we can recharge our spent batteries.
• Make informed decisions, especially when building relationships.
• Friendship without any ulterior motives makes your world a much better place.  And it is possible only when two people seeking to be friends have clear hearts.
• Integrity.  Sometimes you may feel your colleagues or supervisors don’t appreciate or respect what you do. Never lose the belief in your own self- worth. Do not let yourself fail in your own eyes because of words stated by another.    Self-worth is the best gift that you can give to yourself!
• Find a hobby. It could lead to a true escape.  Now…that does not mean you should be watching movies, painting landscapes or doing yoga at work. It means… enjoy your free time and your work time will be more productive and rewarding.

And those are just the small lessons.  My picks for the best business lessons learned from this exceptional movie are:

 

Persistence isn’t the best thing…it’s the only thing. When people said it couldn't be done, Rocky Balboa trained harder. When people said a girl couldn’t be a boxing champion, Million Dollar Baby showed us different.  When we thought a U.S hockey team victory over the seemingly invincible Russian squad was inevitable…it became a Miracle. Persistence is a major theme in many movies. Why? Because it is a fundamental positive force for all of us, yet many of us give up too easily. Rejection and disappointment are part of every job. Keep focused and persistence pays off. When everyone tells you it can’t be done…do it!

 

Sometimes you have to crawl through the Muck. Sometimes, to reach our goals, we have to trudge through some pretty nasty stuff. Our main hero in Shawshank Redemption “crawls through a river of I don’t want to even image and came out clean on the other side.” Makes sitting through a mid-afternoon budget meeting seem easy in comparison.

 

Hope… above all else:  In my favorite line in this favorite film, the leading man says this most profound brief monologue to his best friend. "There are places in this world that aren't made out of stone... there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours... Hope. Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

Hope is the very essence of survival. If you believe in yourself and have passion for your job, with hope you have it all.  How can you survive and thrive if you have no hope?

And…you knew this was coming…

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying:  Now...let’s not get too dramatic.  Work is not the only part of our lives.  But, if you are not doing a job that makes you happy how can you truly live?  Never give up on your dreams to find and work at the career you want, ever! When others tell you it is unrealistic, it is only to protect the status quo.  You create the life you want and if you want it, go get it!

Sometimes work may feel like detention. Decisions are made for you instead of with you. The other detainees aren’t always friendly.  Surround yourself with colleagues who have no ulterior motives. Challenges are many. But, with perseverance and a never ending belief in yourself, you will thrive in your position and will leave your mark in the rafters:  Brooks was here!