When we live in the land of “same thing, different day,” we’re stuck in our comfort zone. And while it’s NOT where we want to live, we stay there because it’s painfully familiar. Then we numb ourselves and fantasize about what will bring us happiness. We want to click the remote control and jump straight to bliss. Well, as you probably know, it doesn’t work that way. There is a huge chasm of discomfort between Groundhog’s Day and yippee-ki-yay.

Everything good in my life looks different from what I pictured. We have an expectation of how things will show up based on our beliefs, and think if we could just have X, everything would be great. No more pain, no more sameness. But even if what you wanted showed up on your doorstep, you wouldn’t know what to do with it because without the internal work, you may still have the same lopsided beliefs. When nothing inside shifts, any happiness derived externally is temporary.

The key to moving away from Groundhog’s Day is taking small steps toward what lights you up. It requires emotionally-inspired action, and only you can do it. Look at what you don’t do for yourself or how you work against yourself. It’s time to speak your truth, break down perfectionism and do what feels good rather than putting someone else ahead of you and doing what you don’t want. Some think it’s okay to always put others first, but you have to notice the resentment building up over time. The path to happiness is not about following a map; it’s about throwing away the map and trusting that you’re moving in the right direction—even if you don’t know where it will lead. Each new and different action will intuitively lead you toward what you want, and I can pretty much guarantee it won’t look the way you expected.