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Brilliant Thinking

Everyone’s working incredibly hard. These videos are the antidote to ‘busyness’. They’re also a thank you. They’re designed as a deliberate time out, to rethink how we engage with ourselves, each other and life.

Everyone’s working incredibly hard. These videos are the antidote to ‘busyness’. They’re also a thank you. They’re designed as a deliberate time out, to rethink how we engage with ourselves, each other and life.

Part 1, ‘Brilliant Thinking’, is 17 minutes long and is designed as a scene-setter for the rest of the series. The presenter, Andy Cope, will introduce himself. He tells the story of Jimmy’s Diary before considering the good old days and the brevity of life.

Andy makes a bold call to stand up for Mondays before challenging us all to consider ‘who taught us how to think?’ Andy will then set an activity so we’ll pause the video and take some time to reflect on the main messages. The video finishes with a thought-provoking call to arms – to totally rethink happiness.
Andy sets us some tried and tested ‘homework’ that starts the rethinking process.

Chapters in this programme

General introduction and scene setting

Starts/Finishes at 0 to 3.49

Jimmy’s Diary and the ‘good old days’

Starts/Finishes at 3.50 to 7.45

Life, 400 weeks, stand up for Mondays, who taught you how to think?

Starts/Finishes at 7.46 to 11.49

Activity break

Starts/Finishes at 11.50 to 13.29

3 questions

  1. Describe your best day in your current job
  2. What are your biggest workplace challenges?
  3. Who’s the happiest person you know, and why?

Facilitator to pause the video and give participants appropriate time to chat about these themes. This is best done in pairs or small groups.

Before the video is re-started, get staff to share some of their thoughts. Timings are at the discretion of the facilitator but it’s envisaged that the discussion and feedback would take up to 15 minutes.

The happiness mis-selling scandal

Starts/Finishes at 13.30 to 15.56

‘Homework’: 3 good things

Starts/Finishes at 5.57 to 17.20

Tell the staff that this is a tried and tested wellbeing activity that is proven to have positive effects on wellbeing. By reflecting on what’s gone well our brain begins to be alert for good instances rather than bad. Over time, this re-wires our thinking.

The ‘homework’ is, of course, optional. Remind staff that it would be nice to reflect on its usefulness prior to watching part 2.

Additional discussion for this programme

  1. Watch The Most Important Lesson You’ve Learned and discuss “what are the biggest lessons life has taught you (so far)?” (3 minute video)
  2. Watch This is water and discuss “what are the implications for how and what we think?”
    (9 minute video)