Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker
Hopefully you’re smart enough to operate a toaster? But, just in case, you’ll have noticed that your new toaster comes with a 17 page instruction manual. Yet, despite the complexities of the human mind, there is no instruction manual. So we thought we’d write one! ‘The Art of Being Brilliant’ is a simple, fun and thought-provoking operating manual for the human being. It will enable you to function at your best
Why is being brilliant not about dramatic change?
Change can be dramatic. But people create their own drama, sometimes out of thin air! Anne Dilliard once wrote that ‘how we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives’. By that, I think she means that as life ticks by it’s the little things that count. We believe your external world is a reflection of your internal world. So ‘being brilliant’ is about stripping back the layers that have gradually accumulated and that mask who you really are. This will reveal your inner brilliance. The book’s strapline says it all – why settle for anything less than being yourself, brilliantly?
What is the most inspiring quote in your book in your opinion?
We love short pithy quotes. One of my favourites is ‘Cinderella is proof that shoes can change your life.’ We include this as a slightly tongue-in-cheek poke at the fact that we seek solace in ‘things’. And new shoes will make you happy, for about an hour. True happiness is found in your thinking and relationships
What do you feel is one of the most inspirational case studies in the book?
The book is about work, family and life so we include stories and case studies about each.
My personal favourite is a true story about a toll bridge employee called Seb. While his colleagues turn up to work in a miserable frame of mind, collecting the toll money with a sour face as they watch the clock ticking down until home time – Seb stands out. He turns up with a smile. He plays music. He dances! He collects the money with a huge grin, all day every day! I love and aspire to be Seb who by allowing his inner brilliance to shine through has turned his job into a calling. And the best thing of all is that customers would rather queue for 5 minutes to go through Seb’s lane so his ‘brilliance’ is transferring to his customers.
Why is it important to think about where you are at with your work and personal life and life in general?
We are coming at life from the angle of you might only get one? Not sure how true that is but we’re not taking any chances. The average life-span is 4000 weeks and that is a bit of a cage-rattler for many people. We think that life’s too short to waste any of your precious 4000 weeks living a black & white life when it could be full-colour
What are your six common sense principles that encourage focus on your best bits?
Come on? We’re not falling into that trap! Buy the book!
Oh, go on then, here are 6 points in all their brief and simple glory:
Choose to be positive
Understand your impact (you cannot NOT have an influence on people)
Take personal responsibility (less grumbling and more action)
Have bouncebackability (life can be tough, you need to know how to be resilient)
Set HUGGs (Huge Unbelievably Great Goals)
Play to your strengths
All common sense but by no means common practice. And there is science behind each point, I promise!
What parting message do you have for our readers?
We liken happiness to a pot of emotional gold at the end of the rainbow. And that means we are always pursuing it, working hard to earn it or searching for happiness ‘somewhere over there’. At its most basic, our message is to stop looking ‘over there’. Happiness isn’t at the far end of the rainbow. It’s a pot of emotional gold and it’s at your end of the rainbow. To steal a classic Fatboy Slim line, it’s right here, right now. You just need to look inside. And while that may sound a little clichéd, Buddhist or new age, our book gives you some top tips on how to feel happy NOW!