A Shepparton life coach will be offering parents free online sessions to help them communicate with their teenagers more effectively through isolation and home learning.

Life and business coach Glenn Irvine has received funding to move his Parent as Coach workshop online, where he will share coaching tools to assist parents in identifying and improving the ways they communicate with their children.

He said coaching skills would be useful for parents or guardians struggling to comprehend their changing role in the home due to COVID-19.

Were trying to be teachers, but were not teachers, he said.

Coaching is the best way of getting information out of a young person, by helping them understand what they want, actions they need to come up with, and how to problem solve.

Because of the isolation situation were in, weve got a great opportunity to engage our kids.

He said all participants could join a closed Facebook group afterwards, where they could continue to receive free guidance and advice.

The single father of four is an accredited life and business coach, and has been running sessions for teenagers in schools throughout the region for 15 years.

He hopes his classes will give parents and guardians the skills to find new ways to connect with their kids through COVID-19 isolation, and beyond.

I hope they feel more confident to engage their young person, he said.

Because of technology, its harder now than ever to engage a young person because theyre focused on their devices.

To get them to communicate better is the key goal.

The workshop will be run as a two-part session on Wednesday, April 29 and Wednesday, May 6, starting at 7:30pm.

He said while the upcoming workshops would be capped at 20 participants, he would be offering free sessions in the future to cater to demand.

To register, visit http://www.glennirvine.com.au/parent-as-coach

Excerpt from:
Shepparton life coaching helping parents through COVID-19 with free online sessions - Shepparton News

Emily Rickard was at a casual dinner party in Riverside three years ago when a friend, a professor, mentioned a word that would change her life.

Enneagram.

The professor had recently learned about the personality test and wondered if anyone had experience with it. Rickard was immediately intrigued. And perplexed.

She has a masters in psychology and a longtime fascination with personality inventories (think: Myers-Briggs), so she couldnt believe that there was a system she hadnt heard of. Back at home, she researched the Enneagram (pronounced ANY-uh-gram) model and how it breaks people into nine archetypes designated by a number, and sometimes a one-word nickname (The Peacemaker, The Enthusiast, The Challenger, The Investigator).

The 37-year-old, who lives in Moreno Valley with her three boys, whom she home-schools, and her husband, a teacher who also helps pastor a church in Riverside, quickly pinned herself as a Nine The Peacemaker. (Figuring out your type often starts with an online assessment that asks you to agree or disagree with generic statements, such as I want people to tell me the truth, not spare my feelings.)

As she read about the Nines key motivations avoiding conflict and maintaining harmony, sometimes by putting others interests ahead of your own she flashed back to her childhood and how, when her parents argued, she felt like the world might end. She thought, too, about the times her husband insisted that she pick a dinner spot, and she simply shrugged, elevating his cravings above hers.

The epiphany brought her to tears, feeling as if her authentic self had, at last, been fully recognized. Soon she enrolled in a 12-week, online course offered by a company called Your Enneagram Coach, that, for about $1,000, promised an overview of the nine types, as well as help setting up a freelance gig as a life coach teaching from the Enneagram perspective. Now, she runs a coaching service called NextGen Enneagram, offering a $350 package that includes a 30-minute, pinpoint-your-type interview and six longer one-on-one meetings.

Once you get the Enneagram bug, she says, its kind of contagious.

Actually, quite contagious.

Sixteen years of Google searches show that the number of people looking up Enneagram hovered at the same level until 2017, when it spiked drastically, topping out last summer. In August, for the first time in its history, the Narrative Enneagram, a nonprofit that teaches students how to use the model, sold almost every space at six workshops in Menlo Park, according to founding president Terry Saracino, who has taught the Enneagram for more than 30 years.

The Enneagram is exploding, she said. Expanding like crazy.

The boom, which until the pandemic broke out involved people gathering for Enneagram parties and workshops, is part of the same contemporary phenomenon that some observers connect to the resurgence of astrology in turbulent times, some people find comfort in the rituals of their religion or other, less traditional, belief systems. When the world feels especially chaotic, said Fran Grace, a professor of religious studies at the University of Redlands, we crave tools that help us change the one thing we can control ourselves.

Its the inner path, Grace said. How can I be a place of peace?

Emily Rickard discusses the Enneagram at a gathering in the fall at her friends home in Riverside.

(Ana Venegas / For The Times)

Like many other Enneagram converts, Rickard is something of a personal-development junkie. She saw a marriage and family therapist during grad school, knows her Myers-Briggs type by heart and recently met with a woman who coaches people using neurolinguistic programming, a self-help therapy that sometimes uses hypnotic techniques.

And while she recognizes that some of the Enneagrams allure is its trendiness Its popular right now, so go with it, right? she says with a laugh she finds the model less stagnant and more growth-oriented than other personality systems and believes that it will stand the test of time.

::

Mention the word Enneagram in a group or DISC or Myers-Briggs or any of the hundreds of tests that distill personalities into a color or a number or an animal and youll almost always spot at least one person rolling their eyes, convinced its all well-packaged nonsense. Personality tests, skeptics have long argued, are nothing more than pseudoscience that create a buyer-beware world of little regulation where anyone can call themselves an expert.

The Enneagram itself has ancient, but murky, roots: Some adherents trace it back to a 4th century monk and the same underlying concept as the seven deadly sins. Others see similarities between the Enneagrams nine-pointed figure and a symbol used in ancient Sufism.

1/9

The Reformer/Perfectionist: Ones are disciplined, self-controlled people who are afraid of making mistakes and feel compelled to leave the world better than they found it. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

2/9

The Helper/Giver: Twos are generous and empathetic people who can be prone to people-pleasing. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

3/9

The Achiever/Performer: Threes are energetic, make-it-happen people who care deeply about being admired. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

4/9

The Individualist/Romantic: Fours are idealistic and intense people who crave authenticity. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

5/9

The Investigator/Observer: Fives are analytical, self-reliant and, at times, detached. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

6/9

The Loyalist/Loyal Skeptic: Sixes are dutiful, diligent people who can be prone to distrust. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

7/9

The Enthusiast/Epicure: Sevens are peppy, at times scattered, people who love the thrill of a new opportunity. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

8/9

The Challenger/Protector: Eights are self-assured and intense people who are perturbed by indecisiveness and injustice. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

9/9

The Peacemaker/Mediator: Nines are accepting, go-with-the-flow people whose longing for harmony sometimes causes them to acquiesce to others desires. (Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

But the modern interpretation is credited to Bolivian-born philosopher Oscar Ichazo, and one of his students, a Berkeley-based psychiatrist, who, in the 1970s, helped popularize the Enneagram in the U.S. By 1994, the model had gained at least enough credence that Stanford Medical Schools psychiatry department co-sponsored the first International Enneagram Conference, drawing more than a thousand people to Palo Alto.

From there, the framework found pockets of popularity with self-help devotees and in Corporate America, where some companies used the tool to build rapport among employees. It also gained traction in some Christian circles, propelled, in part, by a book on the topic by an influential Franciscan priest named Richard Rohr. Then, thanks to millennials, it exploded into the mainstream in the last few years. In many ways, the tool, which isnt tied to a specific religion, seems tailor-made for a spiritual-but-not-religious generation that grew up on BuzzFeed quizzes and branding.

Milton Stewart, podcast host for Do It For the Gram

Enneagram evangelists tout it as a self-discovery tool that will help you understand your strengths and limitations, spot patterns you fall into during stress and communicate more clearly. Its not about fundamentally altering yourself or trying to morph into another type that, theyll remind you, is impossible anyway but about living more consciously with the hand youve been dealt.

In a world saturated with self-help tools, its the Enneagrams digestibility that sets it apart.

The nine archetypes are easy to distill into cute and encouraging memes, like the ones shared to half a million followers on the @enneagramandcoffee Instagram account or the GIFs of puppies and Enneagram jokes tweeted by the @Enneadog account. Companies capitalizing on the craze now claim to know the best smoothie bowl and iPhone app for each type and there are more than 20 different podcasts with Enneagram in their title, including one called Do It For the Gram hosted by Milton Stewart, a Seven (The Enthusiast.)

Column One

A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times

The 30-year-old, who lives in Memphis and proudly calls himself The Enneagram Guy, says the tool is a natural fit for him, and fellow millennials who want to move beyond discussions of success and toward a loftier goal: True happiness.

The Enneagram helps people get to what is greater, he said. To be really internally happy, peaceful, content.

Another part of the Enneagrams appeal is that nobody owns it.

A few well-established groups, such as the Enneagram Institute and the Narrative Enneagram, host intensive workshops, some of which can cost into the thousands of dollars. (In a club exploding with newbie converts, groups that started talking about the Enneagram decades ago carry a certain cachet.)

But people can also research for free online and label themselves a guru.

Theres no overarching body that says, You cant say youre an Enneagram expert, said Micky ScottBey Jones, 42, a Nashville-area Enneagram trainer, who got certified through an extensive online program taught by the School of Conscious Living in Cincinnati.

The lack of quality control is problematic, Jones acknowledged, because someone with only a cursory understanding of the Enneagram could call themselves a trainer and start charging money. And when the tool is used without nuance, she said, discussions can devolve into deterministic stereotypes.

Oh, you think youre perfect? Jones recalls her ex-husband quipping at her, knowing she was a One, sometimes nicknamed The Perfectionist. The opposite was true, she told him, Ones have the fiercest inner critic of any number.

Think of the lines on the Enneagram figure as arrows explaining the directions each personality type moves in times of stress and growth. So, when a Nine is stressed, they resemble an unhealthy Six, but when theyre thriving, they look like a healthy Three.

(Peter and Maria Hoey / For The Times)

Its not a party trick, she said.

It takes serious research to understand the tools subtleties, Jones said, and to account for the cultural biases inherent in some of the quizzes and trainings. As with anything, she said, Enneagram teachers interpret the world through the lens of their own lives and, historically, at least in the U.S., most instructors have been white.

When Jones, who is black, first started having conversations about the Enneagram, other people told her, and she initially agreed, that she was probably an Eight (The Challenger). But she later realized that that was a common mistyping among black women one she believes is rooted in stereotypes about black women as angry and strong. While she is a leader with a strong personality traits often found in Eights a key aspect was off: She doesnt freely express her anger. As a One (aka Perfectionist), shes prone to tamp the emotion down.

One way to weed out your true type, Enneagram experts say, is to read all nine descriptions and focus on the one that unsettles or embarrasses you. That was how Paden Hughes the 33-year-old CEO of Gymnazo, a workout facility in San Luis Obispo ultimately discovered her type. She initially thought she might be an Eight, but realized she was a Three (The Achiever) after learning that, at their lowest, Threes are prone to shape-shifting and manipulation.

Its the side of you that you dont want anyone to see, Hughes said. But recognizing that side, she believes, spurs growth.

She implemented the Enneagram with her then 15-person staff more than a year ago and, so far, she said, the employees have liked it more than other personality-typing tools theyd tried together, including Myers-Briggs and Strengths Finder.

Attendees broke into groups to discuss personality types during the Enneagram workshop in Riverside.

(Ana Venegas / For The Times)

On a Saturday morning last fall, Hughes gym hosted a two-hour Enneagram workshop led by Joy Pedersen a 41-year-old life coach and certified Enneagram instructor who has a doctorate in educational leadership.

I want us to do introductions, Pedersen said softly, asking each of the participants to share a fun fact about themselves, as well as their experience with the Enneagram and what they hoped to get from the workshop.

First up was a 38-year-old preschool teacher fun fact: Shes from Fargo, N.D. who said she knew almost nothing about the Enneagram, but that she kept seeing the word on Instagram. Then a 59-year-old commercial real estate agent fun fact: she has anxiety from a lack of fun facts said she struggled with understanding people and hoped to improve her communication skills.

Oooh, Pedersen said, smiling, that gets me really excited.

The next day, a different group a crew of 18 men and women packed into a living room in Riverside for an Enneagram party led by Rickard, the devotee who lives in Moreno Valley.

Dressed in a sparkly T-shirt and exuding the loud, stay-with-me energy of someone who spends her time home-schooling a trio of young boys, Rickard clapped three times. The crowd her friends, her friends friends and a few strangers whod learned about the event online quieted.

So, Rickard said, squirming with excitement, who has heard of the Enneagram?

Eighteen hands popped up.

Who is obsessed with it like me? she asked.

Rickards friends, her friends friends and a few strangers whod learned about the event online attended the workshop.

(Ana Venegas / For The Times)

When only four hands stayed raised, Rickard inched her eyebrows up and down several times, as if to say, Challenge accepted.

Some Christians are leery about the Enneagram because its not derived directly from the Bible, Rickard said, but that doesnt bother her or her husband, a pastor at a nondenominational Christian church. Nothing about it contradicts their beliefs, she says, or those of any of the other world religions shes studied.

Anything that gives you insight into how youre made can be helpful, she said.

As Rickard outlined the types in a PowerPoint presentation, a mother, who was bouncing her baby on her knee, asked if women with young children ever get mistyped as Twos (The Helper). Rickard nodded, saying women and particularly women in religious communities are often mistyped because selflessness is a trait theyre taught to value and therefore learn to express.

As she pointed to her PowerPoint, a stack of gold bracelets bounced around her left wrist. She winced.

This is so jingly, she said. Is that annoying anyone?

A friend in the back of the room chuckled, noticing the worry-about-everyone-else question.

Ah, she whispered to herself, The Peacemaker.

You could argue, of course, that anyone giving a public talk might fret over distracting noises. But that wasnt what the friend saw not now that she was a believer.

See original here:
Enneagram tests are having a moment. Thank millennials - Los Angeles Times

Bud Wilkinson

OU President and Mrs. George L. Cross congratulate Coach Wilkinson on his win over Texas, 1948. Tulsa World File photo

University of Oklahoma's Darrell Royal plants a resounding kiss on the cheek of head coach Bud Wilkinson in the dressing room after Oklahoma beat North Carolina in Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 1949, with a score of 14-6. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, left, and assistant coach Gomer Jones are shown on the sidelines during a game in Norman, Okla., Nov. 1949. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson and assistant coach Gomer Jones shout directions to the Sooners from the sidelines, Nov. 1949. (AP Photo)

University of Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson is shown with his Coach of the Year 1949 plaque at a dinner of the American Football Coaches Association in New York, Jan. 12, 1950. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman)

College All-Stars head coach Bud Wilkinson, right, of Oklahoma, gives instructions to Barney Poole of Mississippi, who will captain the All-Star team, as they practiced Aug. 11, 1949 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Ill., for a game with the Philadelphia Eagles pro team at Chicago, August 12. (AP Photo/Ed Maloney)

University of Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson bends over to sign an autograph for a young fan as the team arrives in Biloxi, Miss., Dec. 27, 1949, for training in preparation for the Sugar Bowl against LSU on January 2. Darrell Royal, quarterback, waits to add his name to the boy's paper. (AP Photo)

University of Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, left, talks with Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy at a dinner of the American Football Coaches Association in New York City on Jan. 12, 1950. Wilkinson was selected "Football Coach of the Year for 1949." (AP Photo)

University of Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson, right, is congratulated by former President Herbert Hoover at a dinner given by the American Football Coaches Association in New York, Jan. 12, 1950, where Wilkinson was selected 1949's Football Coach of the Year. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)

Bud Ledbetter, and 17 other students received their football letters during the father-and-son banquet Friday from Bud Wilkinson on Feb. 17, 1950. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Coach Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma University takes a drink of water from a bottle after a tense moment in the Oklahoma-Kansas game, Nov. 11, 1950, at Lawrence, Kansas. The Sooners, behind at halftime, surged forward in the final quarter to win 33-13 and chalk up their 28th consecutive victory. (AP Photo/William P. Straeter)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, left, and Paul Bryant of Kentucky, whose teams meet in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, have their fingers in a sugar bowl at a luncheon in Oklahoma City, Dec. 8, 1950. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, center, gives some advice to his defensive Sooners during practice in Biloxi, Miss., Dec. 27, 1950. The team will meet Kentucky in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. From left to right: Jack Lockett, Buddy Jones, Ed Lisak, Wilkinson, Tommy Gray, Tom Catlin and Bert Clark. (AP Photo)

Bud Wilkinson (left) of Oklahoma and Robert Mendez, head football coach of at the National University of Mexico, Mexico City, swapping split-T ideas at Norman during Sooner spring practice on April 3, 1951. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, center, kneeling, is seen with three of his squad, Dick Bowman, left, Kurt Burris, right, and Darlon Hearon, Dec. 26, 1953, in Miami. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson, center, goes over game strategy with co-captains Roger Nelson, left, tackle, and halfback, Larry Grigg, during a workout at the University of Miami, in Miami, Fla., Dec. 26, 1953. The Sooners will meet the University of Maryland Terrapins in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. (AP Photo/Earl Shugars)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson and quarterback Gene Calame work out strategic plays with small model football players, Dec. 30, 1953, in Miami Beach. The Sooners are meeting Maryland at the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, center, talks it over with quarterback Gene Calame, right, and center Gene Mears before a workout at the Lafayette M. Hughes estate in Denver, Colo., Oct 28, 1954. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, right, is shown with Sooners All America back Tom MacDonald, center, and Dr. George L. Cross, president of the University of Oklahoma, as the first contingent of the Oklahoma squad arrives in Miami for their Orange Bowl date with Maryland, Dec. 26, 1955. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson is hoisted to the shoulders of his quarterback Rodger Taylor, left, and fullback Bill Brown, right, for the victory ride off the field at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., Jan. 2, 1956. Oklahoma beat Maryland, 20-6. (AP Photo/Earl Shugars)

Hugh Ballard (82), Oklahoma tackle, runs onto field as coach Bud Wilkinson stands on the sidelines in Boulder, Colo., Nov. 3, 1956. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma University football coach Bud Wilkinson goes over a play with quarterback Jimmy Harris as the Sooners wind up preparations for the Colorado game at Boulder, Nov. 1, 1956. (AP Photo)

Bud Wilkinson on Sept. 21, 1957. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Bud Wilkinson on December 27, 1957. AP File Photo

University of Oklahoma football co-captain Don Stiller holds the Football Writers' Association trophy as coach Bud Wilkinson looks on, in Norman, Okla., Feb. 15, 1957. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson, left, and assistant coach Gomer Jones, right, signal for a time out with a minute and a half left to play against Notre Dame, in Norman, Okla., Nov. 16, 1957. At midfield and Notre Dame ahead 7-0, Wilkinson wanted to send in a player who could develop a series of plays, but the Fighting Irish intercepted a pass two plays later, ending the Sooners' chance to score and tie-up the game. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson crouches among his players before starting practice for the New Year's Day game with Syracuse in the Orange Bowl at Miami, Fla., Dec. 27, 1958. Some of the players are Marshall York (72), Ben Wells (71) and Wahoo McDaniel (40). Others are unidentified. (AP Photo/Harold Valentine)

Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson shakes the hand of his former player Darrell Royal as they leave the field in Dallas, Tex., Oct. 10, 1959. Texas defeated the Sooners, 19-12. (AP Photo/Ferd Kaufman)

U.S.President Richard Nixon leans toward shy, Michele Lofevre advising her: "Smile. You're having your picture taken." Michele, 9, of Washington, sat with her father, Ted on Nov. 16, 1959 in Washington. In front of the President and his adviser, former Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson, as they watched Dallas beat Washington, 41-28, at RFK Stadium. (AP Photo/CWH)

Charles "Bud" Wilkinson, University of Oklahoma coach, is shown in Norman, Okla., 1960. (AP Photo)

Charles (Bud) Wilkinson, University of Oklahoma football coach and newly-appointed special consultant to the President on youth fitness, poses with President Kennedy at the White House, Washington, March 23, 1961. The 44-year-old Wilkinson conferred with Kennedy on formulation of plans to get the Youth Fitness Program under way. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)

Just as happy about the victory as coach Bud Wilkinson is former Sooner All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Vessels on November 17, 1962. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Heading toward the dressing room with a comfortable halftime lead of 28-8 are coach Bud Wilkinson and a happy band of Sooners on April 21, 1962. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Charles B. "Bud" Wilkinson, special consultant to U.S. President John F. Kennedy on physical fitness, announces a national awards program to honor leaders of the fitness effort, March 1963. The award system will be jointly sponsored by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and Standard Packaging Corp. of New York. (AP Photo/Byron Rollins)

A publicity shot from Oklahoma City television station WKY for the Bud show: Left to right are Howard Neuman (an advertising agency executive) , Ned Hockman, and Bud Wilkinson. Howard and Ned came up with the concept for the coaches show on TV and pitched it to Bud, who agreed. Howard Neuman was the host (and continued through the Switzer era). Ned Hockman shot and edited the show. Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Football coach Bud Wilkinson shakes hands with voters at a coffee counter during a grass roots swing in Guymon, Ok. on March 2, 1964. Wilkinson has left coaching at University of Oklahoma to campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo)

Bud Wilkinson (left), an unidentified person and Richard M. Nixon in Oklahoma City on March 2, 1964. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

U.S. President Richard Nixon joins thousands of other fans in watching the Washington Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys in a professional football game on Nov. 16, 1969 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Charles ?Bud? Wilkinson, Presidential assistant and former football coach, is at left of Nixon. (AP Photo)

Some of the nations most respected football coaches were on hand in Seattle, Washington Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1975, to honor Jim Owens, far left, who retired as head football coach at the University of Seattle, after 18 years. With Owens are, left to right, Darrell Royal, of Texas; Paul Bear Bryant of Alabama; Bud Wilkinson, who retired several years ago from Oklahoma; and John McKay of Southern California. (AP Photo/Barry Sweet)

Texas coach Darrell Royal, right, is seen with his former football coach Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma and Barbara Specht, College Football Centennial Queen, in Lubbock, Tex., June 27, 1970. (AP Photo)

Former University of Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson, now St. Louis Cardinals coach, cradles 1 1 / 2-yer-old Adam Small, son of Quail Creek Golf and Country Club grounds keeper Kenneth Small, in his arms during the Barry Switzer-Bud Wilkinson Swing for Sight golf tournament Monday in Oklahoma City on May 21, 1979. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Bud Wilkinson, left, joyous at first victory, as is assistant Rudy Feldman on Oct. 30, 1978. Wilkinson coached the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals from 1978-79. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Bill Toomey, the director of fund-raising for the U.S. Olympic Committee, is happy to lend a hand with the nametags for Barry Switzer, left, and Bud Wilkinson, who turned out Thursday night to help raise money for the USOC on March 17, 1988. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Bud Wilkinson on Oct. 27, 1989. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Bud Wilkinson. Photo via The Oklahoman archives

Greg Smith, right, reaches up to recover the statue of former Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, left, after the cover fell off early during an unveiling ceremony before the start of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma Coach Bud Wilkinson and other coaches respresented at the College Football Hall of Fame Feb. 25, 2015. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World File

Read the rest here:
Happy birthday to the late Bud Wilkinson: Take a look back at his life and legacy - Tulsa World

HomeSportsFaces of Yadkin: Bradley Shore

A community can be defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. This definition certainly describes Yadkin County and the people who call it home. One person in particular who makes Yadkin County such a great place to live is Bradley Shore.

God has really blessed me by allowing me to do something I love for so many years with many different sports and teams. I started out coaching boys basketball at Starmount in 1998-1999 as an assistant to Coach Brian Robinson, said Shore. I also coached softball at West Yadkin that year and continued to do so for 10 more years.

After the year with Coach Robinson, I coached girls basketball at West Yadkin for 10 years before coming to Forbush to assist Coach Jon Huggins with the varsity boys for two years. I then became the head coach for the varsity girls and just completed my eighth year with them.

Shore is the womens basketball head coach at Forbush High School and has been a lifelong member of the Yadkin County community. He grew up in Boonville and lives in the house in which he was raised. He attended Starmount High School, where he played soccer, basketball, baseball and tennis. After he graduated from Starmount, he attended Surry Community College where he played basketball and tennis. After two years at Surry, he transferred to Appalachain State University and obtained his Undergraduate and Masters Degrees.

The West Yadkin community was great to me as a young coach. I still see a lot of the parents and players from those days, and I love catching up with them, said Shore. Even though I was from the other side of the county, the Forbush community has been more than welcoming. The support of our program and coaching staff has been fantastic, and we have tried really hard to make the school and community proud of what we do and how we do it.

Along with his time at Starmount, Shore also helped Danny Macemore with the womens tennis team for five years. He has also coached his kids in recreational baseball, soccer and AAU basketball.

Enjoy the rewards of hard work and consistency that lead to winning, stated Shore on his piece of advice to young athletes. More importantly, though, learn how to handle defeatyou dont like it, you can be upset about it, you can even cry about it. But wake up the next morning excited and determined to go out and do something about it. How you handle defeat in sports and life determines where you will go in life.

This past season at Forbush, Shore led the team to the Western Regional final. It was the first time in school history that the womens basketball team at Forbush had made it past the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Playoffs.

My favorite things about being a coach were my favorite things as a player: 1) Being part of a team. 2) Working hard together to improve and accomplish our team and individual goals. 3) The competitive excitement of games and practices, said Shore.

Being a coach has greatly impacted Shores life, and will continue to do so for many years to come. He has been a staple coach at Forbush with his passion for the game of basketball.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my playing days, it is no comparison to how coaching has impacted my life, said Shore. Coaching has allowed me to combine my passion for sports with my passion to work with young people. Seeing players accomplish skills and goals and seeing them develop into good people and citizens is a reward beyond words. Winning games is fun, but nothing compares to the relationships developed with players, families, and other coaches.

I have met some of my best friends through coachingCoach Tim Parks and Coach Kenny Gooden have been with me all eight years at Forbush. Coach Brittany Groce joined us four years ago. They have become some of my closest friends and allies. I have some other lifelong friends that Ive met through coaching.

Coaching has also allowed (my wife) and I to bond over teams and games. She has been the coach behind the coachalways doing stats behind the bench and going over all the details at home with me, said Shore. As we have had children, coaching has also impacted them. It has allowed them to make positive relationships with players, given them good role models, allowed them to see the excitement of sports, and shown them how hard work and consistency lead to desired goals.

Shore was a guidance counselor in Yadkin County for 20 years, and he is a member of The Shore Team at Keller Williams Realty Elite in Winston-Salem. He has been married to Amanda Key Shore for 20 years, and they have three childrenParker, Elliott, and Worth.

On the court and field, there have been many fun teams and championships won, but I would have to say this past basketball season was the best team accomplishment, said Shore. We were conference champions, conference tournament champions, had a school record in wins, and made it to the 2A State Final Fouran accomplishment not achieved by girls basketball in Yadkin County before.

Off the court, the greatest accomplishment, mostly not as result of me but I like to think I had a tiny part in it, has been seeing former players go on to great things, and seeing that some of them enjoyed their time playing enough to come back and give of themselves, Shore said.

Eight former players have, or are currently, helping coach in our youth AAU program. Two current players are helping coach, and former player Madison Gentry joined our staff at Forbush this past season as an assistant coach. Seeing current and former players giving back by coaching themselves is such a blessing.

Shore grew up in Boonville and went to Starmount High School.

https://www.yadkinripple.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_DSC_0643.jpgShore grew up in Boonville and went to Starmount High School. Kristian Russell | The Ripple

Bradley Shore is the womens basketball head coach at Forbush High School.

https://www.yadkinripple.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_DSC_0850.jpgBradley Shore is the womens basketball head coach at Forbush High School. Kristian Russell | The Ripple

Link:
Faces of Yadkin: Bradley Shore - Yadkin Ripple

Studies show that 85 percent of moms feel unsupported, but life coach and writer Beth Berry says that we can work towards changing the narrative.

Motherhood can be one of the most fulfilling parts of our lives, albeit a little stressful at times. As we know, though, moms now juggle more than ever before as they balance full-time careers, child-rearing, housework, and maintaining a meaningful relationship withour spouses. All of these demands leave many of us looking for support in our parenting endeavors.

Howevera recent survey conducted by Motherlyfound that85% of mothers believe that modern society does not adequately support mothers. This startling statistic, combined with rising stress due to the Coronavirus pandemic, leaves us wondering how we reached this point and what we can do to change the narrative for mothers going forward.

They say that it takes avillage to raise a child, but as mothers most of us now find ourselves relatively alone. Just like our mothers before us, we are expected todo all of the cooking, cleaning, and care taking for our homes. However, we are now also expected to build successful careers, stay fit, and single-handedly maintain our spousal relationships.

If that's not enough, don't forget all of the additional parenting duties that come with modern society: tutoring, advocating, playdate planning, chauffeuring, and coaching or club leading. The days of children roaming the neighborhood with friends are long gone, as are disciplining children through spanking or other corporal methods.

Most mothers feel like they don't receive adequate support in nearly any aspect of their lives. There's a lack of support from busy spouses who also work long hours to provide and parents who, instead of retiring and helping raise their grandparents, are often still working because they can't afford to live off of social security alone. Then, when it comes to employer support, most working moms feel that they receive unfair wages and inadequate maternity leave or time off to tend to their children's needs.

And, of course, mom shaming is a common problem in our modern society that's filled with "picture perfect parenting" all over Pinterest and Instagram.

RELATED:Gwyneth Paltrow Shares Photos Of Kids Saying They're Her Moral Support

As I mentioned, parenting doesn't at all look the same as it did for our own mothers. In fact, life coach and author Beth Berry says that "becoming a mother these days is uniquely burdensome. Id even go so far as to say that were navigating not only a whole new set of stressors as mothers but also oppressors, the likes of which our foremothersnever could have imagined." Because of these unique challenges, mothers need even more support than ever before - yet we're receiving less and less.

With a lack of support, most moms stretch themselves too thin. As they work from the early hours of the morning until late into the night, most mothers end up with virtually no time to themselves to rest and recharge. While this isn't the entire story, it does explain in large part why nearly 12 million women in the United States battle clinical depression and why it most commonly occurs in women aged 25 to 44.

Until we start recognizing these statistics and changing the narrative, though, nothing will improve for any of us.

In hernon-fiction book "Motherwhelmed" (available on Amazon May 1), Beth Berry hopes to challenge the societal norms around motherhood and bring the conversation into the homes of mothers everywhere. Berry hopes that motherswill band together and"challenge cultural norms, examine the personal, familial, and cultural stories that are keeping them feeling stuck and playing small, and begin to see themselves as worthy of a more empowering, joy-filled existence." She also hopes that mothers will start connecting with one another to make this change happen by following thesesteps:

Most mothers are shouldering more than their fair share of the load these days with virtually no support from the outside world. However, if we all arm ourselves with information and band together, we can start creating the change we want to see. There's no rule that says we have to do it all alone, so why are we? It's time to start changing the narrative and changing our lives for the better.

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If You're Not Okay Right Now, You're Not Alone

Megan Glosson is a freelance writer and editor based Nashville, Tennessee. She enjoys writing on a variety of topics, including parenting, mental health, and life. You can find more of her work on Unwritten, The Mighty, Focused on Kids, Food Delivery Guru, and TheThings.com.

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Majority Of Moms Feel Unsupported, But We Can Change That - Moms

Photo: Adeolu Eletu

Successful entrepreneurs and business owners know the value of health and well-being. They either developed a healthy foundation early on, or they learned the hard way after experiencing a well-being problem that led to loss in productivity or profit that health equals wealth.Are you one of those leaders, or are you among the vast majority who know, conceptually, the importance of wellbeing, but struggle to level up self-care to match the demand of success as it grows and expands?

Plenty of leaders show up to our coaching calls excited about their work but overwhelmed (and secretly thriving on that overwhelm because we tend to wear overwork as a badge of honor). Some leaders seem to have boundless drive and stamina, but underneath that high performance is a decades-old fear of being left behind or never measuring up. The payoff is high enough to keep going until it costs them valuable employees, intimate relationships, or their own health. Executive burnout is a very real, very costly issue, and one of many reasons that self-care forms the foundation of my work.

This foundational conversation is especially important right now, during uncertain times fueled by global fear and well-being issues over which many of us have no control. Never has wellness been more critical to success than in the current pandemic.

Self-Care Means Business.

You cant lead others if you cant take care of yourself. Your business cant thrive if your workforce or customer base isnt thriving. Energetic Intelligence reminds us that our energy impacts the energy of those around us; therefore, if youre willing to accept radical responsibility as a leader, your self-care is also the self-care of everyone around you. Your self-care means business for you and for everyone you serve.

What self-care entails in a leaders life is going to evolve and grow as they do. Once you distinguish what it actually means for you, it becomes part of your business plan. Putting it into practice is just as critical for your business as other nuts and bolts like marketing, bookkeeping, and sales. As you continue reading, I suggest starting a self-care checklist/plan. You might start by writing down:

1. What you currently practice that truly serves you and your business,

2. What you use as a stand-in for self-care that doesnt actually serve you,

3. What you avoid in terms of self-care, and

4. What youre committed to taking on, based on what you distinguish from reading this article.

What does Self-Care actually mean for you as a leader?

Self-care, wellness, well-being whatever the trending hashtag is today is often all polish, no nail. Looks good in photos, sounds good in writing, but theres no substance or growth happening underneath. Honestly, as I searched for a stock photo to headline this article, I could not find a self-care image that didnt involve pastels, bathtubs, or tea cups. The surface-level concept of self-care that shows up as lavender-scented bubble baths, weekly mani-pedis, or a weekend round of golf might be enough to replenish you after a week of average stress. Is it really, though? For decades, women were sold on outer self-care (hair, nails, pilates the idea being that whatever keeps us looking good should keep us feeling good), while men were taught that tough guys and big shots need nothing but a good shave and another round of golf. Leaders, especially emerging leaders, have learned to practice inner self-care, as well: meditation, vision boarding for their career goals, in-house life coaches at their start-ups, daily ping-pong breaks in their open-concept office the list goes on and on. All of these can be wonderful practices and structures, but they still arent adequate. Why not? For one thing, all of them feel good.

Being Good to Yourself Doesnt Always Feel Good

Under normal circumstances, entrepreneurs and business owners can get away with the surface-level, very marketable concept of self-care referenced above. Add a personal, professional, or global crisis into the mix, though, and it quickly becomes apparent that surface-level is no longer adequate for the challenges that lie ahead.

Perhaps youre of the mindset thatPowerful leaders just power through!. Some certainly do. Ive been guilty of it myself, and Ive watched plenty of clients power their way through some hard times, muscling their way right into burnout, exhaustion, stress, overwhelm sometimes even divorce or mental breakdowns.

Weve all heard the stories and read the advice about slowing down, taking breaks, getting support. Why, then, would a powerful leader still think its in their best interest to neglect their well-being instead of doubling down on it? Because it feels good for the ego! Powerful people got into their powerful positions by trusting their power. Again, weve been trained that its powerful to push ourselves to the breaking point, to work ourselves to exhaustion, embrace the DIY, even if it kills us.Its not always easy to choose actual self-care over what the ego says will get you what you want.

We often find in the coaching process that a major breakthrough is available only by trusting something that the ego says is weak or unsafe. That something is different for each unique person, and its usually in their blindspot. Distinguishing, trusting, and embodying that something creates a paradigm shift that eventually is even more effective than what used to be the go-to power tool. In terms of self-care, this means that whatever youre resisting is likely what would do you the most good.

The Self-Care Struggle: Short-Term Avoidance or Long-Term Abundance

Short-term satisfaction wants comfort and rewards immediately. Actual self-care requires long-term thinking; it asks what is nourishing, not just comforting. Short-term brain always needs to feel good. Long-term vision asks what does the most good.

Were bombarded with marketing that trains us to believe that self-care is both: it feels good now, and itll make you happier in the long run. Itcanbe both, but often, actual self-care doesnt feel good in the moment. Self-soothing feels good in the moment and can also be self-care; theres nothing wrong with self-soothing or short-term satisfaction, but as we move from the immediate impact of crisis into the reinvention and rebuilding phase, it will serve us well to distinguish what were really up to when we make choices in the name of self-care. The ability to distinguish what truly is caring will prevent the term self-care from becoming a concept that you hide in or hide from as a leader.

The choice point requires the awareness of your personal Avoidance vs. Abundance Game, as I like to call it. It requires that you bear the pain of discomfort in service of your longterm goals and gains. The push and pull of knowing it vs. choosing it when it comes to impeccable self-care (and remember, self-care equals business care) can be challenging even under normal circumstances.

Its delightful when whats good for you also feels good, but some of the most effective self-care practices feel absolutely loathsome, embarrassing, or just downright boring. Going to the gym is an obvious example for many people: its one of the top New Years Resolutions, which makes it one of the most broken agreements that people make with themselves. Annual physical check-ups are another very basic self-care practice that I hear powerful people neglect regularly. One of my favorite examples of a loathsome, embarrassing foundational self-care issue was a client who, after months of being cranky and unpredictable, finally admitted that she was suffering from such intense hemorrhoid pain that she couldnt sit still or focus in meetings, but she was too embarrassed to see a doctor! She put off physically feeling good because of the anticipated emotional pain of seeking help. Ive seen plenty of leaders pull similar shenanigans with finding a new therapist, booking regular coaching calls in between their busy meeting schedules, hiring a nutritionist or personal trainer, or scheduling an audit with their accountant.

What about self-care practices like taking a vacation day (or five) in the middle of your companys busiest season, apologizing for something crummy you did even if you got away with it, leaving work early to go to your kids piano recital, hiring support you think you cant afford but know will level up your life? Thats irresponsible! I can practically hear some of you yelling at me already. Consider that its even more irresponsible to perpetuate a model of leadership that neglects your health, heart, or soul in the name of should, not enough, scarcity, or comparison. I trust you to discern which choices are truly in service of self-care, and which ones are self-preservation. Long story short, feelings are not always the best indicator.

Your commitment to who you want to be as a leader is what really matters when creating a self-care plan. Some of you are quite literally nailing it when it comes to the feel good part. Maybe you want to be a leader who always has beautifully manicured nails, and the spa time feels amazing. Thats fantastic! What else will you add to that routine to level up your experience of rejuvenation, stamina, pleasure, and power? Whats out of your self-care comfort zone? You might notice that once a self-care practice becomes routine, its no longer self-care; its a hiding place. I had a client for whom it was initially a breakthrough to take time off if she had a migraine. Months later, though, I noticed she was using migraines as a reason to miss meetings that were especially challenging or confronting The true self-care for her at that point was to get support for what was triggering her defenses about that meeting.

Some of you are resisting self-care, often in the name of power. Youve got some tough choices to make, and I hear you its not possible to be in two place at once, and sometimes, the most self-caring decision might hurt someone you love. Do you have to be the guy who never sees his kid play piano but always pays for the lessons? Maybe so but unless you want to also be paying for that kids therapy about it later, you might want to have an honest, compassionate conversation about why you wont be in the audience. Whats going to allow you to have that compassionate, responsible conversation? Self-care. You want to be the first female CFO at your company,andyou want to meet a spouse and have a baby within the next year? Totally doable, and its going to require a very new conversation about how self-care fits into those 14 hour days youre working right now. You might still work long hours,andthe boundaries youll need to empower to stay in good mental health at work are going to serve you well in establishing a healthy romantic relationship, too. Im sure you can guess whats going to help you determine those healthy boundaries. Say it with me: self-care.

Proper Care and Feeding of a Leader

Self-care means nourishing, feeding, and tending to your goals and your greatness. Your greatness thats such a coachy thing to say, right? Its what youll access more of when you truly tap into self-care, though. Its your highest, best self not just the insatiable, comparison monster that your ego can become when you get confronted or depleted.

One measure of impeccable self-care is that you have few to zero days of feeling depleted or triggered. You are so on top of your game that youre capable of running your business with an open, authentic heart. You have a clear mission and action plan, and you are consistently fueling yourself in a way that has you show up with authenticity and integrity.

Here are some simple, real examples of self-care that Ive seen make a difference in my clients lives:

Here are some examples of what might pass as self-care but is likely avoidance when we take an honest look:

Your Business Plan From Here

You likely see some gaps and practice areas to create for yourself from here. Rarely do I meet a leader whose self-care is 100% handled, 100% of the time. More often, I meet leaders who say it is but havent actually taken a look at what that means in a very long time.

Make two lists for yourself: an Integrity Reality Check and a Self-Care Calendar. Reality check: Whats out of whack in your life or business? Write it down anything from unpaid bills to sales goal gaps to not taking regular time off. Self-Care: what do you honestly need on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis to be properly nourished and fueled as the leader you want to be?

Put these lists somewhere youll be faced with them daily on the fridge, taped to your computer, on your kids forehead whatever. Share them with someone you trust to hold you accountable from both love and austerity. Whittle that Integrity List down to the point that you are running a tight ship, no leaks. Empower that Self-Care schedule like your leadership depends on it because it actually does.

It wont always feel good. Sometimes, its going to feel boring or even threatening to your status or other commitments. I challenge you to put self-care first for at least a month and let me know what you discover. Now, go take care of yourselves and each other.

Continue reading here:
Self-Care Means Business, and Business Doesn't Always Feel Good - Thrive Global

EDWARDSVILLE - Lori Blade, who coached the girls basketball team at Edwardsville High School for 18 seasons, winning 510 games and 17 of 18 IHSA Class AA and Class 4A regional championships, announced her retirement April 16 as coach of the Tigers' girls team.

Blade made the announcement to her team via a video conference, ending a 26-year career as head coach of both Carrollton and Edwardsville High Schools. Her career record was 743-92, and her teams went to the IHSA state finals five times, winning back-to-back Class A championships with the Hawks in 2000-01 and 2001-02, two second place finishes with the Tigers in 2011-12 and 2016-17, and a fourth place finish in 2017-18. Her 743 career wins rank her in the top-ten all time in Illinois girls basketball history.

In a statement on her Twitter page, Blade said that coaching wasn't always about wins and losses, but to help develop a deeper love and respect for the game of basketball.

"So, here I am, at the end of this season of my life," Blade said at the opening of her statement. "It has been an incredible season of life. After immense thought and prayer, I have made the decision to retire from coaching basketball after 32 years. I have always pushed myself, my players and coaching staff to work hard to compete. Truth be told, it has never really been about getting the win. The victory that I've always strived toward is that everything we did created a deeper love and respect for the game and for one another. Looking back, I believe we accomplished both."

Blade also thanked her family, her players and their families, her assistant coaches, supporters, friends and fans who helped support her and her teams over the years.

"Successful programs are not built alone, rather, are built by many individual and team contributions." Blade said. "I have been blessed to have been a part of two very successful basketball programs, and to have been supported by so many people who have strengthened our program over the years. Thank you to the dedicated coaching staffs who shared so much of their time and enthusiasm for building our programs and for building young ladies. I am thankful for each and every one of our parents for your support along the way.

"Thank you to our basketball community, parents, family and friends who cheered for our teams over the years," Blade continued. "Above all, I could not have done any of this without my biggest supporters, my mom, dad and family. Lastly, I want to thank all my players for all the games and practices; you always came ready to play and always delivered. Thank you for keeping your head high in good times and rough times, and thank you for supporting the team supporting each other, supporting all of our coaches, and more than anything, thank you for the support you've given to me. I appreciate it more than you can imagine."

In 18 seasons as the coach of Edwardsville, Blade compiled a record of 510-65, which included a streak of seven consecutive 30-win seasons, from 2006-07 to 2012-13. Her teams at Edwardsville produced many all-state players, such as Que Love, Elle Evans, Jaylen Townsend, Sydney Harris, Kate Martin, Rachel Pranger, Makenzie Silvey, Criste'on Waters, Kortney Dunbar, Aailyah Covington, Emmonie Henderson, Lauren White, Mary O'Keefe, Caty Ponce, Cierra Gaines, Megan Sharpe, Anya Covington, Kara Frandsen, Tamara McCaskill and Amber Shelton. While at Carrollton, Blade also coached Shelton, Alicia DeShasier, Karen Brannan, Kristen Boss, Liz DeShasier, Stosha DeShasier, Shelby Mueth and Wendy Davidson to all-state honors.

Blade was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016, joining Winchester West Central coach Brian Bettis and Lanark Eastland coach Colleen Finn-Henze as fellow inductees in girls basketball.

In addition to her basketball career, Blade has also won over 700 softball games, making her the only coach in the state to have won over 700 career games in two different sports. Blade will stay on as both a physical education teacher and softball coach with the Tigers.

In the final part of her statement on Twitter, Blade expressed how proud she was of her players for all of their contributions, both on and off the court.

"Coaching young people has been a privilege that has taught me something of value about the game and about life," Blade said. "Each one of you has not only made me a better coach, but a better person. Each one of you has created a lasting impression on me. To all of my players, past and current, we have laughed along the way, and at times, we have cried, but we've always done it together. You made me happy, and you made me frustrated, but mostly, you've made me proud; proud to be your coach, proud to be a part of your development, both as an athlete and as a person. I am proud to call you my kids. If I am remembered for being your coach, it only means that I have still instilled the love of the game inside your heart. Doing that has been my number one priority. It has been, unquestionably, an incredible ride. There are many things that I will never forget. On top of the list of memories are the relationships and friendships nurtured along the way."

The final sentence in her statement spoke volumes.

"Forever in my heart --- Coach Blade."

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Blade Retires As Edwardsville Girls Basketball Coach, Compiled 743-92 Record In 26 Years With Carrollton, Tigers - RiverBender.com

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Whether you are scrambling to meet work deadlines from home or if your work has completely come to a stop, this lockdown has turned everyones life topsy turvy, and its not clear when this new way of living and social distancing will end and when it will truly be safe to live a normal life. This can be very demotivating. In fact, downright depressing. Despite all these worries and obstacles, this is actually a marvelous time for reflection, self-growth and family bonding, according to Sayeda Habib, life coach and author. Recently, You! asked her to share a bit about her personal story and in particular, detail some of the blessings this unusual situation is bringing into our lives

You! Tell us a little about yourself...

Sayeda Habib: Ive been empowering my clients through life coaching for over a decade. I have extensive training from reputed institutions in the United Kingdom and hold the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential issued by the International Coach Federation. I am a Master Practitioner of NLP, and have trained in other interventions including Time Line Therapy, and hypnotherapy, and have been featured on radio and television in the United Kingdom, Pakistan and UAE. I am also the author of Discover the Best in You! Life Coaching for Muslims (Kube publishing 2012), the first self-help coaching book written specifically for the Muslim community.

You! What made you gravitate towards this field of work?

SH: I feel like coaching chose me, rather than the other way around; what I mean is that it happened quite organically. I had my own coach at first, and from the process, I discovered that what I truly want to do is engage myself in a profession that makes a difference to others. During this time, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend some self-development conferences as well. It was at one such conference, that the turning point happened. I attended an introduction to life coaching. The teacher set up a practice, where the participants got to coach each other. It so happened that the group was an odd number, so I got to coach the teacher. We worked together for about 20 minutes, after which he told me that youre a natural. That was a turning point. I began thinking about coaching, and I already believed in it, since I had my own coach. One thing led to another, and I started my training the following year. 15 years later, I havent looked back.

You! Any tips for our readers who are suffering from depression in this lockdown period?

SH: One of the easiest things is a bit of physical activity. Start off little with online yoga videos or take a walk in your garden if you have one: just something to get moving. One key thing to remember is that the mind and body is one system, and physical movement can sometimes be a simple key that shifts everything. Talk to everyone in the house, and choose about 30 mins - or an hour to put away the phones, and just talk. Perhaps cook together, share old photos, do something to connect. Make this a time to remember, and look fondly on.

You! What state of mind does the current situation put you in?

SH: Our state of mind is something that can shift from moment to moment. The first few days were very difficult for me, along with everyone else. Change is unsettling for anyone. However, I then began to shift my mindset. I started focusing on the good things that are happening all around us. We are all getting the opportunity to spend more time with family, to reflect, and to rethink what we want to spend our time on. Our mindset has a lot to do with how productive we are. The better we feel, the more productive we are. Remember, there will always be things out of our control, and if we fixate on that, we will feel out of control. Today, theres an opportunity to re-center and to focus on the blessings we do have and build from there.

You! What are some of these blessings?

SH: These blessings include time to slow down, get pending things done, the chance to connect. Remember physical distancing doesnt mean emotional distancing. One huge blessing is all this technology we now have. Connect with friends and family who are far away. And when you connect, talk about the good things that are happening, catch up take the focus to something positive. Once things settle down, there are plenty of opportunities. The first big one is to rethink our priorities. Spend some time reflecting on where youve been spending your time, with whom. Ask yourself: would I still want to spend my time on these things a year from now or do I want a change? Now is the time to reflect on this so when things actually start up again, you have your new direction and possibly a new plan.

You! Any proactive tips for readers who are feeling low?

SH: A couple of simple tips. Make a small schedule for yourself, and focus on one or two things that you can do even at home. Think about those pending things that you want to finish up, now you have the time to complete it and each time you complete a task, cross it off the list. Believe me, this feels amazing. Next, aim to get in some physical activity which gets the feel-good chemicals going. Third, spend some time with whoever is at home, just playing a game, or doing something enjoyable. Small bits of quality time are wonderful.

You! Do you have any final words of advice for our readers?

SH: So many people have lost their wages, their livelihoods overnight. If you have a roof over your head, have your basic needs met, and all your loved ones are safe, you are in a great position. Lets take time to shift our focus towards all that we have, even today. Focusing on our blessings encourages us to give back and do all the good that we can. Giving back not only is contribution, it feels amazing as well. This is the way we can nurture ourselves, others, and our environment towards something more beautiful.

T. U. Dawood is CEO of 786

Investments Ltd., President of Dawood Global Foundation, and sits on the boards of Pakistan State Oil and Pakistan Refinery Ltd.

Read the rest here:
Blessings from the lockdown - The News International

When thinking about setting goals the starting point is always the end, the destination you want to reach.

Lets imagine for the moment, its 90 days into the future and you were looking back over those 90 days, and you had achieved 5 specific goals you wanted to achieve.

Coming from this viewpoint gets you crystal clear about the end goal or outcome you want.

It also gives you a clear deadline for achieving the goals.

This way of looking at goal setting makes it more powerful because the goals are specific and have a deadline.

Now, goal setting is a powerful capability to develop but many people struggle with goal setting because they dont have the most important component.

Measurable goals.

Setting goals without a measurement or a deadline attached to it is just make believe.

There is no track to follow.

No clear destination to be reached.

And no deadline to reach it in.

As a business coach I help time poor female small business owners free up more of their time and achieve their goals by helping them set both long-term measurable goals and short-term measurable goals.

This helps them free up 100 hours every quarter and be way more productive.

They set long-term goals are usually three years into the future.

These long-term goals are supported by specific short-term 90-day goals.

What Ive realised through coaching these clients, and through twenty years of business experience is that measurable goals matter.

In fact, they are essential and I would say the only way to set goals.

Working towards, and achieving, measurable goals over a specific period of time builds confidence and amplifies motivation.

The goals we set must be measurable for us to intellectually and emotionally engage with achieving the goal.

Measurable goals means that you clearly identify exactly what it is you want to achieve so you emotionally and intellectually engage with the outcome of your goal.

It means breaking the goal down into specific, measurable elements that can be tracked.

Every goal must be based on achieving a specific number or event by a specific date in the future.

Goals such as wanting to lose weight, get healthy, make more money or grow your business are too generic.

There is nothing to really focus your attention on.

You wont get excited about achieving the goal and it wont feel big enough to take action on moving forward.

Having non-specific goals means you have no way of knowing when youve achieved the goal.

Or how far away from achieving it you are.

Part of the power of having measurable goals is that you know when youve reached your destination.

You can celebrate your achievement which builds confidence and motivation.

To maximise your chance of achieving your goals in business and life, set measurable goals.

That measurement must be a number or an event.

To bring measurable goals to life, here are a few examples of measurable goals that my coaching clients have used in the past.

Below are a few examples of number based measurable goals:

I will free up 30 hours of time in the next 30 days.

Increase my revenue by 20% in the next 6 months.

Grow my email list by 500 by June 30.

Increase my YouTube subscribers to 5,000 by July 1.

Lose one stone by May 30.

Here are a few examples of event based measurable goals:

I will speak to five groups of people in the next 30 days

Run 5k in under 30 minutes

Visit Bali in 2020

Start my new business by end September

Open my second yoga studio by October 1

You create your next measurable goal by simply getting started.

If you are new to setting measurable goals start with something specific but achievable to build your goal setting muscles.

Choose something exciting but realistically achievable and choose a short time period such as 21 days or 30 days.

Write down your goal and tell people that are important to you what your goal is so they can cheer you on, or hold you accountable.

Once youve achieved that goal, celebrate and start setting bigger goals.

You can use the SMART goals setting process to help you.

If you are a regular goal setter the key with measurable goals is to choose something that is really exciting but also scares you.

Pick five measurable goals you want to achieve in the next 90 days and then write down the first step to take for each of them.

Tracking your progress towards your goal achievement is essential to build confident, momentum and motivation.

Some people find it valuable to track their progress, monthly, weekly and even daily.

But there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it.

Many people struggle with goals because they measure forwards, which is the wrong way to do it.

When you measure forwards, goals can feel far away and out of reach.

If youre not making the progress you want you may give up, question your capabilities and start getting down on yourself.

The right way to start tracking goals is to measure backwards, from where you started.

Begin with the end in mind Stephen Covey

Let me give you an example to represent what I mean.

One of my clients had a goal to get to 5k YouTube subscribers in 6 months.

She started off very slow as this was a new capability and platform to master.

The first month only saw 300 subscribers.

In the second month her subscribers only grew by a further 200, so 500 subscribers in 2 months.

She had two options.

Get really disappointed and frustrated with her progress because she was so far away from her target of 5k subscribers.

Or, celebrate her progress because she has 500 more subscribers than she did when she started.

She chose to follow the second route and celebrate what she achieved.

This gave her the confidence, commitment and belief that she could hit her goal of 5k in that six-month period, which she did.

Always measure your progress, and always measure backwards.

If you are just starting with goal setting or want to improve your goal setting, then measurable goals are the answer.

This article originally appeared on the Lucemi Consulting blog.

Mark Pettit is a business coach and the Founder of business coaching company Lucemi Consulting. He helps time poor female small business owners free up 100 hours of their time and increase their revenue by doing more of what they love to do and are best at.

Enjoyed this article? Read more tips and strategies on goal setting, time management and productivity on my time multiplier blog.

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Original post:
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5 RINGS: key contributor with dynasty programs Merritt Island in 1970s and Cocoa in 2000s During his 50 years coaching high school football in Brevard County Coach Gerald Hodgin earned more state championship rings than any other Space Coast football coach in history.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA During his 50 years coaching high school football in Brevard County Coach Gerald Hodgin earned more state championship rings than any other Space Coast football coach in history.

He was a key contributor on five state championship teams with dynasty programs Merritt Island during the 1970s and Cocoa in the 2000s.

Hodgin was born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1942, and graduated from Butler High School in Huntsville, Alabama where he played linebacker and guard on the football team and was on the track and field team.

Hodgin then attended Middle Tennesee State on a football scholarship. During his freshman year, he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his playing career.

He then attended Florence State, now the University of North Alabama, where he graduated in 1963.

Hodgin began teaching and coaching football, basketball, track and golf at Cullman High School in Alabama in 1964.

After a year at Cullman, Hodgin and his wife, Elke, moved on to Boaz High School for three years and then to New Hope High School for another three years.

The worlds attention was riveted on Brevard County when the Hodgin family first arrived in 1969 to check out a job opening for a football coaching and teaching job at Merritt Island High School.

When we got to Merritt Island for the first time to meet coach (Eddie) Feeley, we didnt have enough money to stay in a hotel and parked by the Indian River for the night, said Elke.

During the night, Gerald decided to fish off the bank and caught a huge bass and said, Honey I think were home!

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STONG BOND

During Hodgins first year at Merritt Island in 1969 he was the JV football coach, and in 1970, became the offensive line coach for Feeleys powerhouse varsity squad.

The rest, as they say, is history as the Mustangs racked-up state championships in 1972, 1978 and 1979 with Hodgin leading the defense as the coordinator.

Hodgin said among the highlights for him was spending Sundays with fellow coaches Eddie Feeley, Gerald Odom, Lee Mace, Dwight Thomas, Travis Akin, Joe Pribil and Jim Casper going over game plans along with all the special life long bonds he has made with his adoring players.

I first met coach Hodgin during my sophomore year at Merritt Island, said Jimmy Black, quarterback of the 1972 state champion Mustangs and Florida State standout.

He was the head coach of the JV team and one of the first things you learned about coach was when he told you to do something you had better do it now! Discipline was very important to him and he passed this along to his players. The bond the players had with all our coaches still is strong to this day, almost 50 years later. I would like to thank coach Hodgin for the valuable life lessons he taught me in high school and am proud to call him my friend.

When Gerald Odom became the head coach at Cocoa High School in 2000 Hodgin joined his staff as the defensive coordinator and stayed on when John Wilkinson took over in 2004 and picked up two more state title rings in the process.

During his career, Hodgin also coached the Mustang baseball team for 12 seasons, recording 263 victories, five conference titles, four district championships, three regional titles, one sectional crown and a state appearance.

Hodge put his life and soul into whatever he coached, said former Merritt Island High School principal Hank Smith.

THE 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on a date to be announced soon.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame selection committee announced an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards will be held Friday, May 8 at the Cocoa Beach Country Club.

The festivities include a meet and greet with the areas sports royalty beginning at 6 p.m., and the dinner and induction proceeding will start at 6:45 p.m. and includes compelling video tributes of each of the inductees.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame induction event, and the 2020 High School Breakfast of Champions recognition awards, are sponsored by Health First, Erdman Automotive, All Points, Clear Choice Health Care, Savings Safari, Friday Night Locker Room and Rock Paper Simple.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame includes an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

Dozens of nominees were considered in four categories including professional sports, college sports, high school sports and amateur sports.

Special honorary recognition will also be bestowed upon individuals and teams that have made significant contributions to sports on the Space Coast.

Space Coast Daily created the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and has so far inducted more than 160 of Brevard Countys most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports personalities.

Serving on the committee are Space Coast Daily President & Publisher Tom Palermo, Vice President Giles Malone, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jim Palermo, Managing Editor Zach Clark, the Friday Night Locker Rooms Steve Wilson and Orville Susong, former Health First COO Larry Garrison and Amateur Athletic Union Vice President Rusty Buchanan.

The list of inductees for 2020 induction include athletes and coaches everybody knows and some that may have been forgotten with the passing of time, said Tom Palermo.

FOR INFORMATION about the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, or to make a reservation, e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com or call 321-615-8111.

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Tim Wakefield talks about his induction into the first class of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Jamel Dean, Football; Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Wrestling; Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Football; Mark Lake, Skateboarding; Juwaan Taylor, Football

COLLEGE CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Derek Hamm, Football; Paulette King, Basketball; Dylan Lewis, Soccer; Melanie Murphy, Softball

PREP CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Lexy Denaburg, Volleyball; Apryl Bigham Nickson, Swimming; Andi Sellers, Soccer

AMATEUR/RECREATION CATEGORY INDUCTEE: Peter Blount, Track & Field; Karina Villegas, Sled Hockey; Caylor Williams, Wrestling

COACHING CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Sean Ballard, Wrestling; Doug Butler, Cross County and Track; Aubin Goporo, Basketball; Gerald Hodgin, Football; Bill Sinclair, Softball; Don Smith, Basketball

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT INDUCTEE: Loren McClanahan

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEE: Clint Hurdle

SPORTS OFFICIAL INDUCTEES: Ted Ruta

SPORTS JOURNALISM INDUCTEES: Steve Vaughn

SPORTS AMBASSADOR AWARD INDUCTEE: Congressman Bill Posey

CHALLENGER AWARDS INDUCTEES: Brevard Special Olympics

TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2019 Satellite High Cross Country

LEGACY CHAMPIONS: TBA

SPECIAL TRIBUTE: TBA

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

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Gerald Hodgin Won More State Title Rings Than Any Other Space Coast Football Coach in History | - SpaceCoastDaily.com