Punxsutawney Phil Is Wrong 70% of the Time—Are Your Business Strategies Any Better?

This past weekend, millions of people tuned in for a tradition that has been around since 1886—the grand prediction of Punxsutawney Phil. The groundhog emerged, saw his shadow (or didn’t), and the world took note. For some, it was a moment of lighthearted fun; for others, a semi-serious signal of what’s to come.

But here’s the kicker: Phil is only accurate about 30% of the time.

Think about that for a moment. A tradition that people invest in, discuss, and celebrate has a success rate that wouldn’t even pass a college exam. Yet, year after year, people follow it without question.

And that raises a much bigger issue—how much of your future are you basing on traditions, patterns, and assumptions that have an even lower success rate?

Are You Holding Onto Outdated Patterns?

In business and in life, we all develop habits, systems, and beliefs that shape our decisions. Some of them serve us well. Others? They’re no better than waiting on a groundhog to predict our future.

• “This is how we’ve always done it.”

• “The industry slows down in certain months, so we just have to accept it.”

• “Our team just isn’t capable of achieving more.”

These statements are nothing more than traditions we’ve blindly accepted. Just like watching a groundhog and bracing for six more weeks of winter, we often give our power away to assumptions that don’t hold up under scrutiny.

Who Actually Controls Your Future?

When I work with business owners, practice managers, and entrepreneurs, the most successful ones aren’t the ones who simply adapt to what’s given to them. They create their own rules. They don’t rely on outdated traditions or industry myths—they set new standards, create new expectations, and forge their own path.

They don’t wait for seasons to dictate their success.
They don’t allow past failures to shape their future decisions.
They don’t buy into industry norms that limit growth.

They design their success with intentionality.

What Traditions Should You Break?

If you want less stress and more freedom in your business, it’s time to stop accepting the patterns that have been handed down to you. Instead, start setting your own traditions.

Ask yourself:

1. What outdated belief am I holding onto that keeps me from growing?

2. What pattern in my business needs to change immediately?

3. What tradition am I following that isn’t actually serving me or my team?

4. What new pattern can I create that gives me control over my success?

The businesses and leaders with the highest levels of success and the lowest levels of stress are the ones who create their own rhythms, their own strategies, and their own traditions.

So the real question is: Are you still waiting for a groundhog to predict your future, or are you finally ready to take control of it yourself?