Celebrate the Little Things

In our current COVID-19 reality, the concept of the movie Groundhog Day—repeating the same thing day after day—is something we all struggle with. However, the actual Groundhog Day—February 2—is one of those holidays that seems to come and go with a brief amount of fanfare and then it’s forgotten. And that’s a shame.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with this quirky, uniquely North American tradition. Deriving from a Dutch superstition about a groundhog seeing its shadow portending the upcoming arrival of spring, on February 2 people gather to watch groundhogs emerge from their burrows. The most famous groundhog of all is Punxsutawney Phil in western Pennsylvania. People gather around to watch him emerge and to observe his shadow. If he retreats, winter will be with us for another six weeks. If not, spring will arrive early.

 It’s a funny and odd tradition most people don’t appreciate let alone celebrate, but our family did.

We celebrated February 2 with gusto, in part because of Punxsutawney Phil, but mostly because it was my grandfather’s birthday (above is a picture of me and him at the family ranch in 1969). Led by my dad, we were always looking for things to celebrate, enjoy, and laugh about. And Groundhog Day—my grandfather’s birthday—was perfect. Over time, this obscure holiday became part of our family’s celebratory tradition.

I try to bring this same sense of wonder and joy to my family—and to my teams at work. I would encourage you to do the same. As our teams continue to work remotely, their stress levels grow accordingly. Everyone seems to be burned out by the endlessly recurring Zoom meetings. As leaders, look for ways to help your team members find little things to celebrate:

·         Half-birthdays

·         The completion of a project

·         Work anniversaries

·         The end of a week

·         The end of a Monday

Give your team members time together to celebrate the little things of life and work. And if you can’t think of something to celebrate, remember that there’s always Groundhog Day. It won’t feel repetitious.

I promise.