A Christmas Carol … with B5 Consultancy
As we enter the festive season, whether you celebrate or do not, we would encourage anyone to read Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol (or watch the Muppets film version, it’s the best one!).
Discussions about mental wellbeing, the beneficial impact of being kind and the key mental health practice of living in the moment are not new ideas. Dickens’ novella has some wonderful quotes on these topics.
In the lead up to Christmas we’ve picked out a few quotes which we think as relevant today as they were in the 19th Century when the story was first told.
When Jacob Marley wails and berates Scrooge about the mistakes he made his regret is clear. We are driven in our business to try to do good, to help people and to have a tiny positive impact on the world.
One of the things that has made us most proud has been to assist @shaun_whiter in his purpose to make the world a safer and better place. Neither we nor Shaun are driven by commercial considerations in the quest to get in front of as many people as we can (particularly young athletes) Shaun’s aim is to save lives on the road and to inspire young people.
As one young female player said: “This has been the best workshop we have had in the two years I have been here, it was so inspiring and makes me want to be a better person”
Job done.
One of our strongest desires is to make B5 Consultancy a nice place to be. We have done sessions with staff, both in business and in sport, where we emphasise the impact that people, particularly those in seniority, can have with simple acts of kindness, empathy and understanding.
The average person will spend a third of their life at work. We should try and make that fraction as pleasant as possible for everyone.
This year @brianmcdermott_ presented to youngsters at @chelseafc and we are looking forward to bringing him in to other clubs and organisations next year and working with him and @stevenreidcoaching as part of the @threepoints.org.uk project.
Brian’s messaging is clear — you will have bad days, you will make mistakes but it is never too late. You can reset your day at any time. No-one is beyond redemption.
Risk is an important part of the conversation @matthimsworth has with young football players. Everyone has to take risks in life but the key is to understand and balance risk. Football will give great opportunities but a player should ask themself — are they taking risks that are destructive or not for the right reasons? Life is short and a sporting career is even shorter. So many lives are thrown into turmoil by seeking clout, banter and validation, all things that are not worth taking big risks for. Instead we should be taking risks for love, experience and development.
There’s a football analogy Matt uses. You have the ball on the edge of the box in the 90th minute at Anfield against Liverpool. It’s 0–0. Mo Salah is in front of you. You decide to try and nutmeg him. What’s the benefit? If you pull it off, you’ll go viral. What’s the risk? He’ll rob you of the ball and the game will be lost. He doesn’t usually miss. What’s the chances of it all going wrong? Very high indeed.
That’s not to say risks shouldn’t be taken. Kevin De Bruyne gives the ball away more than most. He takes calculated risks at the right time and it has stood him in good stead during his career. We encourage everyone to take the same approach to life. Try that new thing, that experience that scares you, speak to that person you wouldn’t normally come across, visit that country, learn that language. Use that opportunity.
Fraser has delivered sessions focused on well-being and coping with the pressured environment of elite football. One of the key elements is play.
Play is a basic human need, it’s an innate behavior that’s present in all mammals. Some of us have drifted away from that due to modern life. If we can adopt an aspect of play we can reduce stress, connect with people, problem solve, be creative, flow, laugh and all sorts of wonderful things will be happening behind the scenes in our bodies. Remember to have fun.
It is something which came up in our wonderful episode of @journeyspod with Allan Cockram (@planet_penguin_). It’s so important to have fun. As @matthimsworth said to Allan — “life’s too serious to take it seriously”
Our final post this festive season is dedicated to laughter, and to @leighnicol, whose infectious laugh and positive energy makes B5 the lovely place that we always want it to be.
To those of you that celebrate, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and to one and all we wish you a restful break. Or, as Tiny Tim said: “God bless us, every one!”
