During our worldwide quarantine, I’ve heard numerous groans about every day being “Groundhog Day,” a reference to an old Bill Murray movie where every day was a rerun of the previous.

But regardless of the lockdown, how many of us run busily through our days, repeating mechanically the previous day’s agenda? We get up in the morning, struggle for a cup of coffee and breakfast, get ready for work, plow through a day of work while possibly eyeing the clock, go grocery shopping, cook and eat dinner and wash dishes, maybe watch an hour of TV, then to bed for the next day to repeat itself.

Sound familiar? If you’re going through rote motions of living, then you’ve already been living through “Groundhog Day.”

Well, this quarantine forces us to be still, to think. When we are moving mechanically and busily through life, we don’t often take the time to think; we just do.

What many people seem to forget is the ending of that movie. After grousing considerably about the repetitiveness of his days, the “hero” learned he could change his pattern of thinking, and while external circumstances might have been constant, his response and mindset changed. And by changing his mindset, he changed his life.

So, use this enforced quiet time as an opportunity to think. Really think. Think about your life — how you got to where you are, where you want to go, what you want your future life and future self to look like. Then get busy planning. It’s more constructive than sitting around, watching TV reruns or playing video games.

Don’t like your career? Then make a plan for a different career. What skills do you currently have that are transferable? What aspects of your current career do you like, and which do you hate? Does your job give you enough satisfaction in the areas that are important to you?

Like to work alone or work with people? Do you like routine or thrive on change? Do you prefer to be part of a team, or do you need more autonomy in your career? Do you need more education or training to change careers? Do you need a mentor? Make an action list, and then get active.

Dislike where you live? Then investigate new towns/states/countries where the lifestyle is a better fit, and put into action the mechanisms to bring about that change. What finances are needed? Do you need to sell your current home? Where would you live? Would you be able to find work in your new town, or are there opportunities for self-employment?

Unhappy with your relationships? Forgive the past; embrace the future. Invest in your relationships, and they will bring rewards. Too many of us bemoan what we don’t get out of our current relationships without considering what we are putting in. It’s the old adage: you have to give to get. People who want to get more (respect? love? friendship?) before they’ll give it, end up bitter and alone.

Consider this mandated isolation a gift to review your past and create a mid-course correction to grow and prosper.