Written by Anhayla Stanley

I tried to think about what being in quarantine felt like for me and suddenly it came to me...

This is Groundhog Day. The same day over and over.

The same.

The same food. The same clothes. The same schedule. The same people. The same routine. The same bed.

Trapped in the same city. 

It's just like in the movie Groundhog Day, where a man literally lives the same day over and over. The only difference in my version is that my days actually do change, i'm not immortal and there's a global pandemic.

I felt helpless when Coved-19 first started spreading like wildfire. The only thing I could do about it was stay home and the last thing I wanted to have was idle time. 

 There is a line from the Groundhog Day movie that has been on my mind.

“I wake up every day, right here...it's always February 2nd, and there's nothing I can do about it.”

Fortunately, I've seen how this movie ends and It turns out there actually WAS something he could do about it to break the cycle and he DID. 

He had to focus on helping other people and stop being a narcissist. 

He changed his motives for doing good. 

He stopped caring about the direction of his career and promotions. 

He started being present in the moment. 

He learned new talents and new languages.

He found something new daily, something that challenged him.

He made peoples’ lives better regardless if they thanked him or not.

It was the same day...yes, but each day he looked for a way to improve it just a little bit more.  He helped people and through that process he ending up helping his self.

Maybe this quarantine is about breaking the loop that many of us got trapped in. A loop filled with routines, things we hated, relationships that didn’t serve us, cities we didn’t want to live in, jobs we  hated, personas that weren’t real and bad habits that were slowly killing us.  Perhaps that’s what was happening or maybe it was much more simple. 

Maybe you just stopped paying attention to life and time was just passing you by going faster and faster by the day. 

Maybe this is the stop. 

The pause. 

Just like in Groundhog Day. 

An opportunity to really examine what you’re doing daily and ask yourself...am I fulfilled? 

Are you sick of things being the same?

I'm not referring to the end of the actual quarantine because God knows we should all stay home to protect those at risk.  I'm talking about something much more deeper...The end to the quarantine that has had your purpose locked away because of fear. 

You've contemplated back and forth....trying to garner enough courage to finally take a stand and step into your purpose but each time you reason yourself out of starting what ever it is you've been putting off. 

Taking the first step is always the hardest. Many people may try to make it look easy but it does take a lot of energy to change something that you've been doing for the majority of your life. You can't overthink it...you just have to do it. 

Is it hard? Yes...but you'll be glad you took a step of faith.

Could you mess up? Yes.

Could things go right? Yes. 

However, NOT moving and staying in the same place is much worse.

It will keep you safe but stuck — Stuck in regret wondering what could have been.

Take a chance...

Step out on faith.

Believe for something better.