It was clear this offseason that GM Elton Brand built the Sixers with a specific ideain mind.

He wanted his team to be a gargantuan defensive bully. The Sixers have bought into it, with just about every player stating the teams goal of wanting to be the No. 1 defensive outfitin the NBA.

The biggest concern seemed to be their lack of three-point shooting with the departure of JJ Redick. Unfortunately for Brett Brown, his team did little to quell those concerns.

A rough shooting preseason was capped by a 7-for-27 performance in a listless 112-93 loss to the Wizards Friday night(see observations).

When asked about it before the game, Brown thought the storyline was overblown.

I think it's not as big of a problem as maybe the marketplace does, Brown said pregame. I think that we have shooters here. Are they at the standard of JJ Redick? No. But if that's the bar, well, it's pretty high. And so I think as you go through the list of players, although you're not seeing like a high volume, low 40 percent type of high-volume threes at such a pretty high percentage you're not seeing that on the roster. But I still have confidence that we have a team that can shoot. Will that be our identity? No. Will it be needed? Yep. But I think that we're a better shooting team than what I sense the marketplace thinks.

The numbers dont help Brown here.

Al Horford and Mike Scott both shot over 40 percent from three. None of the other main rotation players even shot league average not including Ben Simmons immaculate 1 for 1.

Josh Richardson (33.3), Tobias Harris (25), Joel Embiid (22.2), Matisse Thybulle (26.7) and James Ennis (12.5) contributed to the Sixers shooting a paltry 31.7 percent from three this preseason.

Even given those numbers and the especially poor performance Friday, Brown is still standing by his claim.

I stand by my comment, Brown said postgame. I think that we have better shooters than the marketplace believes. Those comments, my comments, aren't well supported when you look at the statistics in the preseason, but I do think that. I still think that and it's stuff that we need to believe in that and not shy away from it. I don't want to at all and we won't shy away from it. I think that the attention that we have given to offensive rebounding may help ease some of those misses if we can do what we hope to do from that perspective. But I think that we have better shooters then we have shown in the preseason.

Brown does have a point in that aforementioned players have shot much better throughout their NBA careers than theyve shown through five preseason games.

But it has to be considered a legitimate concern. The Sixers are sort of bucking trends by trotting out their huge, defensive-oriented roster, but they recognize that shooting is still a must.

In the second quarter Friday, the Wizards went to a zone defense. Its not the first time the Sixers have seen that this preseason and, after how poorly they managed it Friday, it likely wont be the last. The obvious caveat is that it was a flat performance by the Sixers in general. They definitely had the feel of a team just going through the motions as a date with Boston on opening night looms.

The ball movement at times has been excellent and its led to some great looks. To a certain extent, the shots just didnt fall in the preseason.

I think the looks have been good, Harris said. I think we'll just continue to find each other's own games and where we want those looks from beyond the arc. It's obviously early too in preseason of games where we've been able to get some good looks. Some of them haven't fallen, but they'll continue to come with time and just us figuring out where each other needs the ball, wants the ball with threes we want to take, and I think the more we hunt the threes, the better off we are to be able to shoot it at a higher percentage.

The Sixers are going to hang their hats on the defensive end, but theyll need to shoot at least a little to get where they want to go.

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Sixers will hang their hat on defense, but those shooting questions haven't gone away - NBCSports.com

Half of secondary schools in Swindon are falling behind the required standard, the education watchdog says.

Of the 12 schools inspected in the area, Ofsted rates two as inadequate, its lowest mark, while four require improvement, as of 30 September.

Its latest figures list none as outstanding and six as good.

In Swindon, there are 86 schools registered with Ofsted including primaries, six of which are rated inadequate while 14 require improvement meaning 25 per cent overall are below standard.

This is above the 17 per cent average for the south west.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson said: Myself and Robert Buckland continue to work and support our fantastic local schools and the dedicated staff.

Swindon has had its challenges, in part because of Labours unfair funding formula, but thankfully recent announcements to significantly level up funding and the addition of a number of brand new schools including the Great Western Academy and The Deanery shows our children will have the best chance of fulfilling their potential.

Ofsted visits all new schools, including academies, within three years of opening.

Inspectors judge them on categories including the quality of teaching, personal development and welfare, the effectiveness of the leadership and pupils achievement.

Schools requiring improvement will be inspected again within 30 months, while those rated inadequate now face mandatory conversion into academies, funded directly by central government.

Across England, 20 per cent of all schools were classed as outstanding, 66 per cent good, 10 per cent requires improvement and 4 per cent inadequate.

But with more than 1,000 outstanding state schools going without an inspection in a decade, the National Education Union warned this did not accurately reflect the quality of education on offer.

Dr Mary Bousted, the unions joint general secretary, said: The fact that some schools havent been inspected for over 10 years demonstrates that the information Ofsted provides is misleading at best and may be wrong. This is yet another reason that Ofsted is past its sell-by date.

A DfE spokeswoman added: "Teachers and school leaders are helping to drive up standards, with 85 per cent of children now in good or outstanding schools compared to 66 per cent in 2010."

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Half of Swindon's secondary schools fail to impress Ofsted inspectors - Swindon Advertiser

Posted on Oct 18, 2019

Nic Redfern, Finance Director, KnowYourMoney.co.uk

The traditional workplaceculture today is a far cry from what it was even a decade ago. Arguably, one ofthe most significant shifts that has taken place is workers changing attitudestowards flexible working.

Flexible working is anarrangement whereby workers enjoy more freedoms in terms of how long, where, andwhen they work. There are plenty of reasons why this has become an attractiveproposition, be it reducing the number of hours spent commuting between homeand the workplace, to fitting work around ones personal and familycommitments. And importantly, the option to work from home one or two days aweek, or to shift working hours to better fit a personal schedule, has become akey consideration for people when exploring their job options.

With the world of workchanging, this presents an opportunity for businesses to better support theneeds of their workers. So how can companies adapt to this trend and makeflexible working work better for both employees and their employers?

How strong is the allure of flexible working?

To uncover professionals attitudes towards flexible working, Know Your Money recently conducted a survey of more than 2,000 UK adults in full-time or part-time employment, which explored some of the major changes that are shaping the future of work.

The standout takeaway fromthe research is that employees are seeking greater control over certain aspectsof their working lives even if it means making certain sacrifices. Almosthalf (49%) of the people we surveyed said they would be in favour of a four-dayworking week, even if it meant they would have to take a 20% pay cut. Three-quarters(75%) would also be in favour of a shortened working week if they still had tocomplete their current number of weekly working hours in fewer days.

Meanwhile, just over 70% ofUK employees consider flexible working (in terms of hours and location) as veryimportant to their overall job satisfaction, with women placing a higheremphasis on this than men. What these findings ultimately show is that workersfeel their employers have not yet caught up with the flexible working trend,despite strong inroads being made in recent years to promote change.

Why should businesses take flexible working seriously?

Businesses seeking to acquire,and retain, top talent must consider how they can offer a more supportiveworkplace environment. Indeed, most employees will have commitments outside ofthe world of work from childcare to looking after elderly relatives, or evensimply pursuing other interests which cannot always fit around thetraditional 9 to 5 schedule.

The business case forflexible working has also been demonstrated time and time again. The CharteredInstitute for Personal Development (CIPD), for instance, recently releasedguidance on flexible working, noting that in many cases it has led toimprovements in motivation, creativity, mental wellbeing and productivity levels.

How can businesses support the needs of theiremployees?

First and foremost, itsimportant to be open-minded to the mutual benefits linked with flexible workingpatterns, while also acknowledging the logistical barriers that exist within anorganisation which might prevent employers being able to seek out flexiblearrangements. The responsibility has now shifted onto employers to offerflexible working options and ensure that the people they employ arewell-equipped to carry on their activities regardless of when or where they areworking. Of course, implementing such change will differ based on profession.

Its difficult to talk aboutflexible working without also recognising the important role that technologyplays in enabling remote working. Smartphones, tablets and laptops with accessto online data storage, shared file services, emails and electronic resourcesnow mean that a significant majority of office-based tasks can be completedalmost anywhere so long as an internet connection is to hand.

As more and more workers demandwork flexibility, its essential that companies invest to ensure they have theonline systems in place for their employees to operate outside the remit of theoffice. This isnt limited to physical devices, but also extends to softwaresolutions like Slack which enable connectivity allowing employees tocommunicate effectively and share data as and when they need to.

Ultimately, the main goal of flexible working is to help employees achieve a better work-life balance. And theres no denying that this is becoming a priority for many of the countrys workers. As demonstrated from the Know Your Money research, workers are open to flexible working arrangements that strike the right balance between required hours in the office and the opportunity for remote working.

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The flexible working revolution has arrived heres why business need to adapt - HR News

Chavany Willis knew going into Jamaicas Concacaf Nations League game against Aruba on Tuesday night in Curaao that if the opportunity arose for a penalty kick it would be his to take.

We practice (penalties) every day after training and the coaches picked me and said youre the first one to take PKs, Willis said on Thursday, his first day back training with Bethlehem Steel FC in Chester.

Willis didnt have to wait long to get his chance. He stepped up in the 7th minute and converted the penalty to give the Reggae Boyz a lead they would not relinquish. It was his first international goal in just his second start and third cap for Jamaica.

It was also an emotional goal for Willis, who dedicated it to his late nephew Kingsley, a 21-year-old footballer who was shot and killed in a confrontation with police in Jamaica in August.

That goal I scored is for my family, Willis said. Its for Kingsley so its a special one.

Willis, who turned 22 in September, made his senior national team debut off the bench against Antigua and Barbuda in a 6-0 Nations League win on September 6 and made his first start three nights later in a 4-0 win over Guyana.

Its a great experience and a great pleasure to play with those guys, he said.

Willis and Steel FC teammate Jamoi Topey have both made their senior national team debuts since joining the Philadelphia Unions USL Championship affiliate prior to the start of the 2019 season. Topey made his debut in the Gold Cup against the United States at Lincoln Financial Field in June.

I think its really refreshing for him to go in there because hes one of the youngest guys in the camp where hes one of the older guys here, Steel FC head coach Brendan Burke said. Hes been able to see both sides of the coin so to speak in terms of his personal development so were really happy with his performance and excited for him to get his first international goal.

Willis has logged 2,000 minutes playing in different roles in the midfield for the Steel this season, contributing three goals on the offensive end and is second on the team in tackles with 49. Player for Steel - he was loaned in from Jamaican club Portmore United - has played an important role this season in his development.

When you come across to the U.S. youre instantly recognizable in the national team setup in some of those smaller nations and hes taken full advantage of that this year, Burke said.

The Steel close out their 2019 season with a game at Charleston Battery on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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Chavany Willis first international goal for Jamaica was for my family - Brotherly Game

by Sandy Wade

Ifyoure waiting to start that new healthy lifestyle for when you feel trulymotivated, the bad news is you may never feel like it. Motivation doesntwork. Its never there when you need itand it clearly cant be trusted. Whatcan we do when we want to make a true life change? Here are four things you cando when motivation fails you. These keysteps helped me shed 45 pounds and these same steps are helping me fight tokeep them off.

Whiteknuckling through another failed diet attempt painfully proves relying onwillpower is not the answer. I speakfrom experience, years and years of experience.How many nights did I fall asleep after exclaiming that tomorrow morningeverything will change? I was the queenof starting new diets and new workout plans.I likely hold the longest record with over three decades of diet do-overs. I was ready to launch a new perfect plan everytwo days! Im not exaggerating. I would wake up ready to start this great dayof this new healthy life, only to end the day in complete failure. Broken and disappointed I would begin thecycle again and again.

Accordingto health.usnews.com, 95% of diets we start fail, and 80% of people with gymmembership dont even use them. Themotivation and personal development business has grown to a $9.9 millionindustry in 2019, per marketresearch.com.The truth is motivation doesnt work!Just think back to the last ten years of failed New Yearsresololutions!

Zig Ziglar says, People often say that motivation doesnt last. Well, neither does bathing thats why we recommend it daily. Here are four things you can do today to transform your life, especially when you dont feel like it.

1. Be The Parent

Its time to be your own parent! What does that look like? Parents love you unconditionally and know whats best for you. They also make you do things for your own good and often they make you do those things you dont want to do. Its time to dish out some good old fashioned tough love on ourselves! Loving self-parenting is kind and respectful self-talk. You expect progress, not perfection. You encourage yourself by being supportive, rather than by beating yourself up, in an attempt to self-motivate. You also dont just let things slide. You get things done because you feel encouraged and authentically motivated from the inside out. You shift to problem-solving mode when you get stuck instead of criticizing yourself. You treat yourself with compassion rather than criticism. You dont let yourself off the hook, but you hold yourself accountable.

2. Remember Your Success

Focus on the successes of your past accomplishments. Youre capable of doing so much more than you give yourself credit for. We have a tendency to focus on the bad stuff. If you only think of your failures, youll get stuck in a trap of inaction. Remember how youll feel after youve done the thing you dont want to do, such as workout! Focus on the benefits and upsides of doing what you should be doing. Perhaps you will be in better shape, you will make more money or you will be able to spend more time with loved ones.

3. Failure Is Not Permanent

Life is a journey. The road to change and transformation is paved with ups and downs. Success is not a straight upward line but more of a squiggle. There will be failures along the way. Remember failure is an event and failure is not a person. Its easy to think about failures as permanent things, they are you, but you are not a failure. You are not a loser. Things in life go up and down. Often, the answer to a successful journey is learned from your failures in the past. The truth is, if you learn from it, its not a failure. Learn what you can and keep moving forward. Ask yourself what did I learn? What can I do differently? What is the hidden opportunity here?

4. Give What You Need

The best way to get what you want in life isto help others get what they want. Youget back what you give. If you needmotivation, then help encourage someone else.Youll ultimately end up helping yourself. Help others with what youwant in life and itll come back to you.Lift someone else up and itll lift you up. The golden rule, treat others the way youwant to be treated, became the golden rule for a reason!

Life is a result of our choices. We are all one choice away from a completelydifferent situation, body, relationship, career or life! You just need to take action. Get the ball rolling today. If youre waitingfor the stars to align and for all things to be perfect, youll be waiting fora very long time. If you wait for all ofthe stoplights to turn green, youll never leave home and start that trip. Ifyou wait until you feel like it, you may never feel like it. Everything willnever be perfect. Waiting for asituation to be perfect leads to years of never starting.

Make the choice to start and make a choice to focus. Focus on one day at a time. Focus on one thing at a time. You deserve the tough love of a strong parent who only wants whats best for you. Its time to be the parent. You know whats best. Do that thing. Go to that place. Apply for that job. Get out of the relationship thats not working for you. Reach out to repair a relationship that is good for you. Get off the couch. Go for a walk. Drink the water. Eat the salad. Its all within your power. Its your choice. We are all one choice away from a completely different life. Be the adult. Be the parent. You deserve some tough love! Your new life is waiting.

Sandy Wade is an Inspirational Speaker and Mindset Coach. Shes the author of The Healing is in the R.A.I.N., voted number one new release for Womens Spiritual Growth on Amazon. Visit her website at Sandywade.net to follow her blog. Sandy can also be found on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheHealingIsInTheRAIN], and on Instagram @Sandy_Wade_writer.

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Motivation Doesnt Work! - Thrive Global

The Tigers Trust will relaunch their Premier League Kicks programme next month with a special event in association with Beats Bus and Tommy Coyles Boxclever Bus.

Taking place at the Tigers Trust Arena Astroturf pitches on Friday 1st November (6pm-7.30pm), the evening will see a range of free activities available for young people between the ages of 8-18.

Theres no need to book your place just turn up and join in the fun! For more information on the relaunch event, please call 01482 358371 or email [emailprotected].

PL Kicks is one of the Premier Leagues flagship community programmes. It started in 2006 and has a long history of using the power of football and the value of sports participation to help youngsters in some of the most high-need areas in the country.

By engaging young people in constructive activities, including a wide variety of sports, coaching, music and educational and personal development sessions, communities up and down the country have been transformed with impressive football and sports participation rates and the authorities reporting significant reductions in anti-social behaviour in the areas in which it is delivered.

It has been running in the City of Hull since September 2010, engaging young people in free weekly constructive activities, including a wide variety of sports, coaching, dance, encouraging educational and personal development and offering the opportunity to compete with other clubs up and down the country. Its primary aims are to:

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Official Website of the Tigers - HULL CITY TIGERS

From swearing to insults, most of us have experienced rudeness in some form or another at work, out in public or online. Much of the research examining rudeness has focused on its negative effects and with good reason there are plenty of them.

We know that rudeness is a stressor with adverse impact on well-being, job satisfaction and work performance, so youd be forgiven for thinking that it is both insidious and a wholly negative experience. But surprisingly, our recent study into the experience of rudeness within a mental health context found that it can also be viewed positively, or at least used in a positive way.

We interviewed 18 mental health professionals (including counsellors, clinical psychologists, and rehabilitation and family support workers) to explore their experience of rudeness at work. We asked them to identify uncivil behaviour, discuss how they responded to it and consider their coping strategies. The results indicated that mental health workers experienced a range of behaviour they considered rude, from clients not turning up to appointments, to insults and swearing during sessions.

In addition to the negative impact this behaviour could have, interviewees reported that dealing with rudeness could also have a positive influence on both professional development and client relationships. This finding led us to explore this further could the experience of rudeness have benefits as well as negative consequences in certain circumstances? Our investigation identified five potential positive aspects of rudeness.

Mental health workers indicated that they thought the experience of dealing with rudeness could aid their personal development. Specifically, they felt they gained important insights into why some clients behaved rudely, and learned techniques to defuse or deal with rude behaviour. This led to increased confidence in their ability to work successfully with a range of clients. Viewing rudeness in this way aligns with the idea of stressors as challenges that can be used as learning opportunities.

The extent to which rudeness can be framed as a positive challenge is thought to be influenced by the attribution of the behaviour in other words, why has someone acted in this manner? Did they intend to cause harm or did some external force prompt the behaviour?

Mental health practitioners in our study perceived that the rudeness was caused by the clients illness, current situation or traumatic events from the past. Understanding the root cause enabled the practitioners to view the behaviour as part of the session and relationship development, rather than as an attempt to cause harm.

Linked to the idea of interpreting rudeness as a challenge to be overcome is the development of enhanced coping mechanisms. Learning the skills required to develop emotional resilience is increasingly seen as important in the helping professions.

More widely, recent research reports that challenge appraisals of rudeness at work were linked to higher levels of job satisfaction and increased learning. This links to the theory that exposure to challenging stressors at work can help people build resilience. This can, in turn, help workers to develop coping strategies and increase their self-confidence. Dealing successfully with rudeness at work could therefore have a positive impact on workers confidence and coping, potentially reducing the stress of similar interactions in the future.

Developing rapport and understanding is an important aspect of relationship building within and beyond the workplace. A strong rapport is an important aspect of therapeutic relationships, has been linked to better learning in peer-tutor relationships, and can reinforce solidarity within social groups.

Although many relationships begin with politeness, that decreases over time as exchanges become more informal and rapport grows. Later on, communication can include insults, name-calling and teasing all designed to signal confidence in the relationship and an increasing level of trust.

Impoliteness, swearing and insults can also be a sign of group membership. This tends to occur within organisations where groups or sub-cultures develop, each of which can have defined linguistic rules, such as swearing for emphasis.

This type of social swearing or insults sometimes referred to as banter can function as a stress reliever and can make groups closer, even improving worker motivation and morale. But this can only occur where the organisational culture and leadership permits this type of behaviour.

In some of the examples above, the use of rudeness is acceptable because it is deemed humorous. The idea is not to cause harm but to make people laugh. Humour of this type can be a crucial part of an effective therapeutic process as well as relationship development. The important point is that this is mock rudeness, often directed at well-known figures, with the obvious intent of poking fun.

Although experiencing rudeness can often be upsetting and stressful, it is not always completely negative. In certain circumstances, it can actually improve and strengthen relationships. In terms of personal and professional development, it can also foster resilience and the capacity to cope confidently with difficult people.

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Five ways rudeness can actually be a positive experience - The Conversation UK

Mental Health And Burnout: Coaches

Mental health issues are driving coaches out of sport, says Leigh Nugent, the respected former Australian Olympic head swimming coach and leadership figure. Ian Hansons report today highlights the#lookafteryourcoach initiative unveiled in Australia this week by the Brisbane-based M5 Management. It aims to promote mental well-being among coaches across all sports.

Athletes and staff are being asked to ask Hows your mental health? or Wheres your head at today? as part of their daily routines. Awareness counts.

A good moment to recall a presentation at the World Aquatic Development Conference in Lund, Sweden, back in 2014, whenMarte Bentzen, of The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences,painted a stark picture of a condition that afflicts mentors in sport: Coach Burnout.

Here is the report written on the day for SwimVortex, courtesy of Craig Lord

Olympic season. Lights, action, the world tunes in to singular moments of sporting excellence and achievement. Spills, thrills, smiles and tears and when its done, the world moves on, swimming among those sports that slides back down the spectrum of media exposure.

Behind the scenes: burnout. No, not the swimmer the coach. Followed by the risk of all things collapsing about the coach.

Behind the scenes: across the world this weekend, coaches will be steeped in work in training and at meets, long hours on the deck, travelling and coping with the load ahead of them. For many all will be well. For some, it will not.Anti-social moments ahead, as far as family life and the balance of all things go.

Wrecked lives in the community of coaches who get an honourable mention if their charge makes the podium and are either largely ignored if they find themselves celebrating best-ever performances that fall shy of the medals or pulped under the hammer of stinging criticism and loss of funding after a result in the realms of 4th to 8th.

The pressure is on but like the work that feeds into Olympic podiums, it starts long before the gun goes off at the Games.

Addressing a room full of coaches at the World Aquatic Development Conference in Lund, Sweden, last month, assistant professor Marte Bentzen, of The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences,painted a stark picture of a condition that afflicts their number Coach Burnout:

Every fourth coach in top sport becomes fatigued during the season. An ailing privacy is one of many reasons why coaches lose motivation and passion.

The Aftenposten spoke from true heart of the matter when it reported:

Rowings national team manager Johan Flodin had a weird feeling in his stomach. He knew what awaited him when he opened the door to his own home after returning from the World Cup. When he peered into the empty apartment, he heard himself breathe and the gasp that followed. His family had flown and taken the furniture.

The coach sat on a new sofa for the interview but noted that the room where his two children had slept remains empty. The 48-year-old acknowledged that, in common with many others in his line of work, the job, the traveling, the unsociable hours, the sacrifice of private life had cost him his family and his personal happiness.

Bentzen, of the coaching and psychology department at the NIH, received her doctorate last October for a body of work that can only help improve the lot and understanding of coaches and the coaching role. Norwegian and Swedish colleagues followed 299 coaches from many sports in the two countries for the research, a very solid sample group.

In Lund, Bentzen explained to the coaches gathering that they have embraced a job in which they may experience a much greater conflict between work and life than those who work in realms that leave them less fatigued.

Fatigue is a trigger to a downward spiral, passion for the job a blessing and a curse. Her studies baed on workload and motivation, Bentzen suggests that while a coach remain enthusiastic about their jobs, they can or at least appear to be able to cope with the stress.

Bentzen displays slides that list some of the things that come with coaching: unpredictable; ever-changing; insecurity; intense pressure, highly competitive; unsocial; a wide spectrum of understanding in a given sport, including physiology, biomechanics, psychology, technology.

The study, identifying 182 stressors, found 24 different expert skills in the one job, a level well above that required in many other fields of work.

Those stressors came down to two overriding categories:

Who is looking after the coaches? Bentzen asks. The issue and the welfare of coaches should be best compared to the emergency procedures on an aircraft which demand that you put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. If you do not look after yourself you will eventually not be able to help others, says Bentzen.

This year (2014), Bob Bowman, mentor to Michael Phelps and others, will place his wisdom in the public domain in a book called The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work. Co-authored byCharles Butler and forwarded by Phelps, the book has many a gem in it.

Take this for season-end each year that speaks to the work Bentzen has been steeped in. Over the years, I have become a firm believer in the value of celebration as part of the Method in recent years Ive started to celebrate the end of each year with a holiday party at my home

Achieving our dream vision requires plenty of sacrifice: we use hours we can never get back, we must propel ourselves through daily to-do lists, we need to find a way to fight through emotional and physical exhaustion. But once that moment of completion arrives, its imperative to stop, reflect, and consider what has been accomplished and discovered.

If you have found success you have to revel in the spirit of achievement. If success has not found you, then still celebrate the road you have been on .

Bentzens work would appear to back up the value in those words.

One of the more surprising findings of the study was that feelings of burnout do not vanish if athletes perform well.The studies did not find any statistical correlation between poor performance and fatigue in coaches, says Bentzen, one of the qualitative studies she notes producing an interesting finding:

Coaches with excellent results internationally can also experience burnout. We should stress that excellent results is no guarantee for a high level of wellness in coaches.

It is not all dark, of course. Coaching comes with myriad opportunities inherent in teaching, interaction with young and talented people, personal development, a love of sport and the joy and belongingness of team.

Some call it family but for some coaches it comes at the expense of family.

Bentzen her doctoral study entitled Coaching Burnout in Top-level Sport and colleagues conducted four studies to investigate coach burnout in the elite world.

Concentrated on samples of coaches in Scandinavia, the finding that one in four coaches experience a high level of fatigue (a key symptom of burnout) at the end of each competitive season, is stark. Says Bentzen:

This is a significant number and an issue sports organisations and coaching education programs need to address to make sure that coaches can remain in their jobs for a long time.

Burnout is much more than simply feeling tired, notes Bentzen. Think creep, the gradual gnaw of things that pile up on a trajectory to falling down.

High levels of fatigue come hand in hand with blunted emotions and reduced performance, on the job and beyond it.

In swimming, coaches know well the stories of colleagues who look for all the world on the deck like masters of their one circumstance and art, drivers of success and discipline, when the reality back home is chaos, broken relationships, a ship heading for the rocks. Some turn it round, some never do, a few pay the ultimate price, suicide not unknown in coaching circles.

Coaches on the way to developing burnout syndrome experience negative symptoms both physically and mentally, says Bentzen. The downward spiral churns as the negativity extends beyond the individual coach to their athletes, programs and the organisation in which and for which they work. Where other professions may take to the water, the gym, the road and cycle track to escape work and reduce stress, that environment is not one the coach may perceive as leisure and pleasure: it is just a further opportunity for the mind to work on in the same realm.

Bentzens doctoral thesis consisted of four studies:

On the trail of four Norwegian top-level football coaches over a competitive season, with investigation of the differences in coaches experiencing mild or strong symptoms of burnout at the end of the year.

The Nature of Burnout

Burnout is linked to depression but is not the same, says Bentzen. Is burnout a problem and why, she asks. The answers starts when we consider the causes.

Workload

On top of what is actually done, there is perceived workload and the work-home interference factor to consider (many studies conducted on the impact of work-home factors on womens lives, but few on the lives of men and fewer still on coaches).

Self-determination

Bentzen wanted to see if the self-determination theory could clarify the process of how an individual develops the burnout syndrome. She concludes: The theory has helped to explain why a demanding and unsupportive working environment may lead to a higher degree of burnout in top-level coaches.

The process model is fairly simple and sits on the following pillars:

Bentzen notes whats missing in the interface between swim coaching and studies that tell us what constitutes a healthy worker: there are no specific projects among federations and those with the big budgets that identify and target those at risk; there are no longitudinal studies that might tell us about the extent of the problem.

The self-determination theory (SDT) is an empirically based theory on motivation, personal development and wellness. The theory focuses on different types of motivation, not level of motivation. The quality of motivation is key. More reading: Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-Determination Theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology-Psychologie Canadienne, 49(3), 182-185. doi:10.1037/a0012801 and the Self Determination Theory website.

To maintain the mental energy required as a top-level coach, it is crucial for the working environment to support self-determination, challenge the coaches and allow them to apply their knowledge, say Bentzen and team. It is also important for the coaches to develop good working relationships.

If motivation is thwarted, through conflict with leaders and colleagues, for example, decline is far more likely to set in. The research findings showed that the degree of self-determined motivation (whether the job was perceived as fun, interesting and rewarding) is vital: it prevents burnout. Those who no longer loved their work were at far greater risk of burnout.

In Lund, Bentzen highlighted the cases of five coaches who quit sport and were lost to coaching. She concluded:

If you go to work because you have to not because you want to, it is a red flag.

Equally, the study indicated that those who rejected rules and regulations and those chasing the money and fame the kind of profiles referred to as wearing Ego Glasses by Prof Joan Duda in Lund were more likely to reach at point of exhaustion that would place them at risk of burnout. Those well versed with ways of relaxing and detaching themselves from the strains, stresses and tiredness of the working day could be viewed as at low risk of burnout.

Signs to watch for speak to work-life balance issues, such as:

Among recommendations and measures that could help to prevent top-level coaches from being burnout, Bentzen and team suggest that coaches need to be educated on:

Further, educational programs should prepare the coach for the organisational and administrative aspects of their profession. They should learn about leadership, decision-making processes, conflict management, how to delegate responsibilities and have a good general knowledge about how organisations work successfully.

Bentzen would like sports employers to provide more support that she believes is available. The measures to improve the working conditions for the coaches should be adapted to accommodate the needs of the different sports, she adds.

Frank Abrahamsen, head of the coaching education program at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, echoed that when he urged the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF), schools and universities should include these findings in their educational programs.

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Burnout On The Burning Deck: When Fatigue Flows To The Day Falling Down - Swimming World Magazine

Eight years ago I quit my day job and started doing what I love as a career.

Youve probably heard this story a hundred times from entrepreneurs and self-help gurus. In the story, making a living from what you love is as simple as making a mental shift and perhaps signing up for an online course sold by the person telling the story.

While inspiring (and self-serving), thats not how it actually happens. It takes a lot more. Your skepticism is warranted.

The good news is that it is possible, though. You really can quit your job and make a living doing what you love. Im living proof; I make my living helping people have truly meaningful relationships with more love than they thought possible, and this is something I would do for free if I didnt get paid for it. Im living the dream as a relationship coach who actually makes good money doing what he loves.

What people dont normally tell you is that living this dream takes far more time, effort and planning than the narratives usually lets on. It isnt easy. But it is possible.

So heres how you can join me without the need for luck or any particular superpower. But sorry, no quick fix to follow. Also no online courses to sell you.

1. Fill a Need, Not Your Ideal

The first thing you need to know is that the difference between idealistic and an ideal life is selling something that other people actually want to buy. I cant tell you how many times I see this mistake play out, and how it separates those who try and fail from those who succeed at making a living from what they love.

You probably love doing many things. Not all of those things will earn you a living, though. Or they might earn you a living, but not in the way you imagine. So when you embark on this dream job, start by figuring out something people actually want and will pay for. What market need are you filling, and are you sure youre filling their need and not your own fanciful desire to do something specific and get paid for it?

When I started my relationship coaching practice, I wanted to help people cultivate unconditional love. But as I quickly found out, nobody really wanted that. I couldnt make a living with that. What people did want, specifically singles, was a lasting relationship. So I started focusing on helping people get married instead. That is when I started earning money from my passion. I found a part of my passion that filled an actual need in the market.

2. Keep it SmallOr Hire it Out

The second thing you need to know is that not everyone should be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. Making a living doing what you love doesnt mean your business must grow big and international. You dont necessarily need employees or wild seven-figure success.

Is your goal fame or doing what you love? For the latter, all you need is enough to live and support a family. And by keeping things small, youre much more likely to spend your time doing what you love instead of morphing into a captain of industry. So think small.

Not that theres anything wrong with dreaming big, of course. My roadmap includes a large relationship practice with a global network of associate coaches and allied professionals, as well as an online school and a MyFitnessPal for relationship health.

But if you plan to go big, hire out everything that isnt your core passion. Automate or outsource everything thats not a true passion so you stay focused on what you love and dont run yourself ragged.

An early mistake I made was building my own web site and handling my own appointment scheduling. I should have used a service like Amidship, which gives service businesses like coaches and personal trainers an easy way to set up a web site, automate appointment scheduling and handle invoicing. I probably would have been making a living from coaching at least a year sooner if I had used Amidship instead of doing everything myself.

Use such services widely, and hire your way out of tasks you dont love (like writing this article; notice I have a coauthor on this piece).

3. Be Ready for Bad Days

One of the most important keys for making your living from what you love is realizing that there will be many hard days before you turn the corner to profitability.

What saved my dream business was the early decision that I would persevere no matter what problems confronted me along the way. I took as fact two hard truths: There would be many hard days, and I didnt know how hard it would get. All I knew was that I would persevere and succeed in the end. I wouldnt give up no matter what happened along the way.

Honestly, this saved my business more than onceand it can save your dream business, too. When you expect the hardest journey of your life, and you expect the headaches and the setbacks, the startup problems you do face are not as insurmountable. You knew they were coming. You built setbacks and failures, long hours and nightmare problems into the model. So when they hit you, theres no question of giving up because you knew this was part of the process.

My first relationship client was an utter disaster, and one year I worked until 5am on Christmas morning. Ive had equipment break while shooting on location, business partners who failed at the critical hour, and big assumptions that were wrong. But I never even thought of giving up because I knew this was the process. The result is that Im still doing what I love professionally while many of my relationship coaching colleagues gave up long ago.

4. Iterate Along the Way

Theres a path to making a living from what you love, but the truth is that you dont know the path yet. Almost nobody does. I certainly didnt.

The idea for a product or service that allows you to follow your passion wont be the product or service that actually makes you money. You will need to iterate and evolve your ideas as you go along, especially if your goal is doing what you love. What sounded like a good idea might not work in practice. What looked like a sustainable business model could turn out to be all wrong.

This is a blessing in disguise, though.

If you know your journey is filled with evolution and lots of unknowns, you dont get bogged down in the planning phase. Things dont have to be perfect because you know you probably will get it wrong the first time, so the burden shifts from having it all correct at the start to pushing out minimal viable products and seeing what sticks. This is very freeing.

But it does take patience and a willingness to try things along the way.

At first I envisioned a coaching model where there was weekly client homework and a long exploratory phase at the beginning, for instance. But this was me teaching instead of coaching, and almost none of my clients liked it. So now we do nothing like that.

I also thought that content marketing would be my primary way to attract clients, but webinars and word of mouth proved far more effective. So I still produce a lot of content, but I focus much more on important interpersonal relationships for my business now.

5. Block Off Time for Your Sanity

It sounds strange, but the fifth key for making a living from what you love is not letting the business take over your life.

As personal development authors Preston Smiles and Alexi Panos note in their book, Now or Never: Your Epic Life in Five Steps, you need balance when running a business based on something you love.

Theres always more you could be doing for your business as an entrepreneur, and the pull is twice as strong when this business is based on something you love. The problem is that this creates burnout, and somewhere along the line doing what you love becomes serving something you formerly loved. You can wreck your passion if you dont keep balance.

The key is blocking off time for activities outside of work, even if you enjoy what you do. Schedule time for the kids. Make room for reading and personal development. Defend social time with friends.

Remember, youre working on your dream job. This dream probably doesnt include spending all day, every day on work. You need a balanced life so your dream job stays dreamy. Otherwise you burn out.

I fell into this trap myself the first few years of my business. I was almost the relationship coach without any relationships because every waking hour was spent on my business. Thankfully, I eventually woke up and reasserted the balance. My life got much more sustainable when I did, and so did my happiness.

So I gave up my day job and now make a living doing what I really love. You can, too.

It might not be quick or easy, and there will be false starts along the way. But it is worth it; that part of the story people get right. Making a living from what you love is pretty special.

More:
How to Make A Real Living Doing What You Love - Thrive Global

ON-LOAN goalkeeper Steven Benda says playing for points as well as personal development adds a new layer of pressure that he has never before experienced in his fledgling career.

Benda had only made four professional appearances for Swansea under 21s before moving to the County Ground all of which came in the EFL Trophy and is therefore learning about the nuances of lower-league football as he goes.

Things like washing your own kit, battling with bumpy pitches and players putting bodies on the line in order to pay the mortgage matter more now as minutes on the pitch no longer mean a gaping allowance for and acceptance of mistakes.

Rather than shy away from those experiences, as some of his peers may been tempted to do, the Stuttgart-born goalkeeper threw himself headfirst into the opportunity in order to better himself as a professional.

The 21-year-old said: In under 23 games, the most important thing is to develop.

They (the coaches) want you to make mistakes and learn from them, but if youre playing in a League Two game, youre playing for points and you have to be spot on.

You have to be at your best in every game, so its a whole different feeling and a whole different pressure.

We have good quality in League Two, and its a whole different playing style to Swansea, for example.

I came here to get those different experiences, so Im enjoying it.

Standing at nearly two meters tall, Benda has a small advantage on leaping strikers when attempting to clear aerial danger, but unlike many of his peers, the 21-year-old sees catching the ball as his preferred option so that he can start fast and piercing counter-attacks.

Coming from a team that values playing the ball on the floor above finding a big striker with long balls, the German feels a lower-league team that has a similar outlook as the best place for his development.

Benda said: Im a goalkeeper who likes to play the ball out from the back.

I like to come for crosses and to be there behind my teammates, and show them I can help them if they need me.

Every cross that comes in, I want to fight for it and help my team out.

Coming from Swansea, we have the mindset to always play out from the back, and its not too different here.

We want to play out as much as possible, but if its not, I am able to adapt and go long instead.

The managers playing style, he wants us to play out from the back, but we have to be cautious as well. He trusts us to make the right decision.

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Playing for points has added a new layer of pressure for Benda - The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald