By Bill Quain
Despite the title, this week’s column is not a weather report. It’s a continuation of my look into the three traits you need for success: money, sunny and honey. This is my second column on “sunny.” Let me tell you how it came about. If you do want to catch up on all my “money, sunny and honey” columns, check out shorelocalnews.com.
For money and honey, get sunny!
Just a quick review. Money is easy to understand – you need it to be successful. Honey is your relationships. Sunny is your physical, mental and emotional health. Think of a sunny disposition or attitude.
As I woke up this morning, I came face-to-face with another kind of “sunny”. You see, I am writing this column on Friday, Feb. 2. We all know what day that is, right? Groundhog Day! If Punxsutawney Phil (aka “The Seer of Seers, and the Prognosticator of Prognosticators”) sees his shadow this morning because it’s sunny, we are in for another six weeks of winter.
According to Alexa (my voice assistant that is sitting on my desk as I write), the Groundhog Day ceremony on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, PA began in 1886. I must confess that in all these years I never really watched one of them, except for the ceremony-after-ceremony showing in the famous movie “Groundhog Day.” This morning, I broke with tradition, and sat riveted to the television, for the entire ceremony. I have to say, it is really a lot of fun! If you missed it, I’m sure it’s on YouTube. Consider it one of “Bill’s Picks” for February 2024.
When the Grandmaster of the Inner Circle put Phil on the stump this morning, there was a great hush to see whether Phil saw his shadow or not. The crowd awaited with anticipation for the reading of the Sacred Scroll, chosen by Phil himself. No, I’m not making this up. When the prediction was read aloud (not by Phil, but by someone from his “inner circle” – who looked a little like a groundhog), the crowd erupted in joy, as the scroll proclaimed that Phil had not seen his shadow, and that spring was arriving early!
Isn’t sunny bad for Phil’s prediction?
OK, it does seem a little ironic that I am writing a column about “sunny,” when the sun would cause Phil to see his shadow, meaning another six weeks of winter. However, the thing that turned my frown upside down was when a member of the inner circle stated that the weather was something we couldn’t control, but the atmosphere was. That is, Phil created a positive atmosphere around himself that gave people hope, happiness and optimism. This is why I’m writing this column today.
Be sunny, and create your atmosphere.
Folks, I want you to be like Phil. You see, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like. You have no control over that. However, you have complete control over the atmosphere that surrounds you, and the people you come into contact with every day of your life, not just on Feb. 2. It doesn’t matter if you see a shadow or a bunch of men in top hats along with an adoring crowd. The atmosphere you generate will touch the lives of everyone around you.
Atmosphere is not about the weather.
Here’s another irony. It turns out that Phil sees his shadow almost every year. Google, Alexa and the newscaster I watched this morning all disagree on the actual statistics, but it seems that Phil saw his shadow (and therefore predicted doom and gloom) in all but 20 out of the last 138 years! However, it was also reported that everyone every year left the ceremony in a good mood, just because of the good-natured puns and whimsical characters that abound around Punxsutawney Phil. Hey, even the mean, unhappy and snarky reporter played by Bill Murray in the “Groundhog Day” movie turned into a fun-loving good guy after repeated exposures to Phil. It never mattered what the weather was like. It was always the atmosphere.
Don’t be afraid of your shadow.
Folks, here is my message. Don’t be afraid of your shadow. Spread a sunny atmosphere! Remember, the “sunny” you are building and spreading doesn’t come from the outside. It comes from the inside.
Remember the movie. Keep on improving.
If you haven’t watched “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, I want you to do it tonight! (Unless you are reading this column on Feb. 11, there is no football anymore until next year!) Bill Murray’s character doesn’t get it right the first time, and neither will you. Becoming sunny isn’t easy. There’s a lot of negativity out there, and maybe a lot of it is coming from you. Do an “assess your atmosphere” check. Think about the mistakes you make every day. Then starting on your personal Groundhog Day, stop making them. Don’t try to get rid of every one, every time. Just make progress. How will you know when you get it right? Everyone around you will tell you!
Tell us about building sunnier atmospheres.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Just drop me an email at bill@quain.com. Let me know how you’ve changed the atmosphere. Stay tuned for next week’s final column on “sunny”. The six words on a Boardwalk bench will be “Sunny: be attractive. It’s the law”.
As I say each week, I’ll see ‘ya in the papers!
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
