INSIGHTS FROM AN OLYMPIAN BY JOHNNY QUINN | @JOHNNYQUINNUSA

The best way to learn is to borrow wisdom. Borrowing from those who may be 1, 2, 5+ steps ahead will save you (and me) years of frustration. My wife showed me a post from Dale Partridge recently and it about knocked me off my chair (here’s the post). I own and operate a couple of small businesses which require ample time. I want these businesses to crush it! I also have a wife that I love dearly and I/we want our marriage to crush it! So the question becomes, can you crush both married life and business life? The answer is yes, if you borrow, learn, implement, listen, follow others who are already doing it! It’s a simple concept yet so hard sometimes for our brains to compute. Here’s the formula: borrow wisdom + intentional action + consistency = crushing it!  I want to borrow wisdom from people who have the life, marriage, business, kids, relationships, etc. that I want to have, which leads me to Dale. I have not personally met Dale at the writing of this post. The power of technology has allowed me to consume his wisdom in areas of my life that are very important. Which is why I bought his book, People Over Profit, on sale today for $2.99. Who are you borrowing wisdom from?

I spent Saturday with Metro Relief, a not-for-profit organization with a simple goal: Go to the people, meet the people, and serve the people. They currently operate from two locations Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX and Columbus, OH. I participated with the Dallas Relief Bus, which took us to two locations in downtown Dallas. This was my first time to serve the homeless. Our first stop was to Malcolm X Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard in Southeast Dallas. We setup shop: tables, chairs, war room (prayer room), socks, hygiene kits and of course food. On the menu was soup with rice, bread and lemonade, which was fantastic! Many of the homeless recognized the leaders of our group, Jason, John and Alex as they are familiar faces to them. I found out very quickly how much the homeless appreciated the Relief Bus and how thankful they were for community. The first person I met was a guy named James who is 67 years old. He has been on and off the streets since 1979 and loves the Dallas Cowboys. Although his speech was broken, his mind was sharp. Just as I was getting to know my new friend James, Cindy sat down. Cindy grew up in Tennessee and remembers her grandfather always picking roses and laying them on the porch for her when she would visit their farm. In between bites of her bread and soup, Cindy shared with me that she grew up going to a catholic school. I was shocked and surprised by how authentic these conversations were with the homeless. They are real people, with real names and real stories. As we were concluding this stop and packing up our gear to move to a new location, I asked if I could pray for my new friends. Cindy mentioned she had two dogs growing up named…

I was on social media last week and came across Seventeen Inches. At the time I read this article, it had been shared 72,000+ on Facebook. WOW, that is a lot of sharing and posting! Good news too if you are not a baseball fan…there is plenty of power and wisdom below for all. Photo Credit: Peter Griffin 17 Inches by Chris Sperry In Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA convention. While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name, in particular, kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — “John Scolinos is here? Oh man, worth every penny of my airfare.” Who the heck is John Scolinos, I wondered. Well, in 1996 Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. No matter, I was just happy to be there. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate. Pointed side down. Seriously, I wondered, who in the hell is this guy? After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he’d gotten on stage. Then, finally … “You’re probably all wondering why I’m wearing home plate around my neck. Or…

Whether you’re a current leader or an emerging leader, we’re committed to your journey of “Becoming a Next Generation Leader.” All Lamar University students are invited to attend the 2016 Student Leadership Conference. Hear from our keynote speaker, Olympian and former NFL player, Johnny Quinn, and attend workshops to learn how to grow as an effective leader. The conference is free for all students. Lunch will be provided and many giveaways throughout the day! Check-in begins at 9:30 am in the Setzer Student Center Ballroom. STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Saturday, February 6, 2016 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Setzer Student Center Ballroom Lunch Provided CONTACT US Julie Eddards Director of New Student and Leadership Programs 409-880-7001 NSLP@Lamar.edu What Makes a Leader? Leadership is so much more than having a position or a title. Leadership is what happens when your character, your passions, and your actions align. People want to follow great leaders because of how they inspire others to action. When people with conviction step out, they often draw others to step out with them and the world around them begins to change. By becoming a next generation leader, you can impact a person or mobilize a group into action, which will have greater change in the world around you. That “world” can be your family, friends, workplace or simply the people you come in contact with during the day. When we lead from position or title, the only impact that we will have on others is to manage their time and their tasks. A next generation leader learns how to inspire the strengths and talents of others to a greater outcome. We’re excited to have you join us as we present to you opportunities for you to reflect, grow, and be challenged to become an influential next generation leader. This…

At first glance, the title “Winners Are Quitters” seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? It certainly doesn’t make sense if you have heard (and I bet you have) Vince Lombardi’s famous quote, “Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win.” Vince’s quote, on a macro perspective (big picture) is true. It’s when you begin to look at Winners vs. Quitters on a micro perspective (smaller/daily picture) that we begin to see Winners quit all the time. In this leadership training for employees post I discuss what to quit immediately. Winners… …quit things that don’t work or provide any value to accomplishing their goals. Winners don’t wait to quit at the end of the month, or at the end of the quarter. Winners certainly don’t wait to quit until “New Year Resolution” time next year. Winners quit things that aren’t working NOW. Quitters… …keep doing the same thing over and over. Quitters complain about why their situation hasn’t changed or why it seems like everyone else around them seems to be prospering. Quitters fail to do what winners do daily. Quitters fail to stop the habits and behaviors that have kept them, and will continue to keep them, from reaching their goals. Winners… …quit making excuses. Winners don’t misunderstand reality. Winners are well aware that outside-their-control influences can and will affect the journey to accomplishing their goals. I.e. economy, government, upper management decisions at work, weather, etc. Winners are also well aware that they are in control of their actions. Winners know the choices they make daily have a greater impact on creating the future they want for themselves and their family. More so then outside-their-control influences do. This is great news! Quitters… …make excuses and don’t recognize they are making them. Just like Winners, they are well aware of reality and outside-their-control…

My wife and I fly a lot. Before Amanda joined the family business full-time she worked for a graphic design firm which required a substantial amount of travel. For the past few years she has qualified for companion pass with Southwest Airlines which allows me (her companion) to fly for FREE! This is the best airline incentive on the market for sure and we do our very best every year to keep up the pass.   Photo credit: Mikael Kristenson  We now travel together speaking to businesses, schools and organization all across the country and have established a routine. Park the car, go through security, check the monitor to confirm the departing gate, you know the drill. We have OUR routine and we like it. Now, anytime our routine gets off track albeit traffic, airplane delays, left behind wallet (that was no fun!) it can put us in not so nice of mood. Have you ever experienced that before? The routine you have come to know and stick to, gets disrupted and you turn in to a Grumpy Gus! Welcome to the club, you’re officially human!   What if you could control Grumpy Gus?   Murphy’s law states that if something has the ability to go wrong, it will. When there are a lot of moving parts, the chance of something not working, or functioning properly skyrockets. I have found success in preparing for the unexpected. What I mean by that is if the unexpected happens, well, then I will roll with the punches. I don’t have to agree with it nor do I have to mask my frustration – these are normal human functions. Instead of letting unexpected events control my attitude, I control my attitude.   Dr. Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks…

It’s an exciting time at JQUSA.com! We have launched my new website with a new logo, hi resolution photos and stunning design! As an Olympian and former professional football player I deliver thought-provoking and action-packed messages to businesses, school and organizations across the globe. See for yourself! FUN NEW ITEMS!?! I have designed a THINK Guide to help become more intentional with your time and to create more margin in your life for what matters most to you! Download for FREE! My Speaker’s page is loaded with high quality content and easy access navigation buttons such as: Most Requested Topics Client List Videos Testimonials Media Kit Think Like An Olympian Blog are easy reads to begin your morning. I tackle topics on leadership, teamwork, motivation, faith and social media and much more. I would love to hear your feedback on my new EVERYTHING and where you think I can improve. Browse through JohnnyQuinnUSA.com and send me an email with your thoughts and tips!