Written by: John Scott, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Most people thought the Great War that began in July 1914 would be over by Christmas. Instead, the fighting leading up to that December ended at a standstill. Both sides reinforced their positions by digging trenches along the Western Front to live, fight, and die.
The trenches would extend for at least 25,000 miles if laid end to end. At some spots, the trenches were as close as 35 yards, a third of a football field.
In France, on the morning of December 24th, 1914, there was a severe frost. The trenches were cold and muddy. By noon most shootings and shelling had oddly ceased. Letters home from both sides reported a "strange atmosphere" that developed. One side noticed a coloured lantern light becoming brighter in the other trenches as dusk arrived.
In one section, as the cold night descended, a German Officer, Walter Kirchhoff, a tenor in the Berlin Opera before the war, began to sing Silent Night. The beautiful sound was striking against the devastation and darkness all around. Soon both sides joined in, inducing a sense of all things being calmer and a little brighter. Each side sang Christmas carols and shared words of encouragement, further brightening the atmosphere.
On Christmas day, Sergeant Fredrick Brown was the first to step out of the trenches unarmed and walk into "no man's land." Brown and others' initial apprehension gave way to a sense of shared humanity and peace that saw about 100,000 soldiers from both sides rise from their trenches in various sections and join in the temporary ceasefire.
A German and British soldier gladly traded buttons as souvenirs. A British barber trimmed the hair of a German soldier. A German and British soldier hustled to a farmhouse to find some wine to add to the festivities. A soccer ball appeared from the British side, and soon a friendly game ensued with no referee required. There were burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps. Soldiers exchanged gifts of chocolate and tobacco. Some soldiers wrote home describing the unbelievable truce and shared the celebration of Christmas that had occurred.
“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
Years ago, as a Branch Manager, I went through a very challenging period that led to burnout. It felt like the office of salespeople were mostly bullies and bandits. During that period, on the way to work, I would quietly recite the Lord's Prayer as the only comfort I could find that would keep me safe in what felt like a war zone. Then, upon arriving, I would go to my office and dig in; leaving to walk around the floor felt as risky as sticking my head over a parapet.
Sometimes I would worry about something upcoming and think it would be difficult, go wrong, or be met with a challenge when there was almost nothing close to the imagined negative outcome: preparing for a battle when none existed.
"I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened." ‒ Mark Twain
Self-sabotage is little and big mental skirmishes that keep us from moving to our goals and aspirations faster.
Negativity bias is a natural condition that makes negative experiences more potent and "sticky" than positive experiences.
Catastrophization is a cognitive distortion where we jump to the worst possible conclusion without all the facts. We make stuff up that snowballs into an assumed crisis or conflict.
Sometimes we are even self-critical that we're self-critical.
We must be vigilant about the mental saboteurs and adversaries that can raid and rob our birthright of health and happiness through their covert actions. So, if you see an opponent when you look in the mirror, consider calling a truce for the holidays.
Here are some tips for the truce:
Be alert for thoughts that don't help and turn to thoughts that do.
Think and speak in a self-empowering way.
Forgive yourself if you need forgiveness.
Do things you love to do. Go out and play with your inspired self.
Take an inner retreat of healthy rest, good fuel, lots of movement, and protect a positive mindset.
Write a list of things for which you are grateful.
If you are sad during the holidays, find someone to show kindness to, and you'll feel much better.
Write out your very best and optimal outcomes for the New Year.
And when the truce ends, try reframing the "battle," if it feels like that sometimes, to a celebration of every inch of ground you can hold closer to your goals and aspirations.
There must be no standstill or digging in against an imagined foe. The only way out is through and forward, uplifting ourselves every step of the way.
John Scott, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
John worked in sales and leadership in the financial industry for 30 years. For part of that time, he experienced a great deal of stress and didn't know the way back. As a result, John's health and well-being suffered. Becoming burnt out was the stimulus to wake up with a determination to do his life differently.
John began a private journey to understand and overcome the negative stress he was experiencing. He found a formula for sustainable performance he now shares to help people move through common challenges to experience more great and less grind.
John has completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR, U. of Massachusetts), Foundations of Applied Mindfulness Meditation (U. of Toronto), and the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP, Flourishing Center, NY).
John's adventures include:
Climbing Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Two dog sledding trips to the Canadian Arctic.
Two record-breaking swim crossings Lake Ontario (51km)
The first to swim from Christian Island to Collingwood, in Georgian Bay (32km).
John brings his experience in life, learning, and adventure to help people do life and work well through writing, speaking, and coaching.
