INSIGHTS FROM AN OLYMPIAN BY JOHNNY QUINN | @JOHNNYQUINNUSA

Great teams are made up of individuals who work, sacrifice and produce for the collective good of the group. In other words, they lay down a sense of “self” so the “we” component of a team takes precedence. Here is the kicker. In order to become a great team, each individual is responsible for leading themselves, for the betterment of the team. Therefore, if you can’t lead yourself, how in the world are you going to contribute to a successful team? It reminds me of the team I was on in college. We won three football conference championships and played in three NCAA bowls games. We had a very good team. Everyone from the starter to the practice squad player, and I have been both, played a role in the team’s success. Some roles to the public and even internally may seem to be bigger than others, but the successful teams know that’s a myth. A successful team knows the value of each individual and that their contribution (starter or backup) is critical to the task at hand. Most of us get lost because we want to be the starter, the producer, the rainmaker and the big time contributor that propels the team to victory. Where we make a mistake, is when we fail to realize that in order to carry the responsibility of the “starter,” we have to successfully carry the responsibly of smaller tasks prior. These small tasks are just as important to any team’s success. President Roosevelt said it this way, “Big jobs usually go to the people who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” You may not be part of a football team, but I can assure you that you’re part of some team. You’re a team with your spouse. You’re a team with your…

I will never be the president. I will never be an astronaut. I will never be a neurosurgeon. I will never be a professional athlete.   Photo credit: Mike MoruziThese are pretty tough professions to crack into, aren’t they? It’s fair to say, it takes a lifetime of hard work and commitment to reach the pinnacle in those respected fields. So we buy into the, “I will never” line of thinking because these weren’t career paths we willingly choose to follow or quickly squashed those dreams because they seemed too hard or unattainable. I will never be like my neighbor. I will never act like that co-worker. I will never join that group. I will never be a leader. It was just last week I caught my self using the “I will never” slogan after being spoken to in a rather poor manner by a potential client. I didn’t like his attitude or his motives, and you better believe “I will never act like him.” The humbling truth is, later that same day, I was rude and short in my comments with someone in my inner circle. Someone I care about, who knows my personality and what makes me tick. This was not your typical sales call. Never, in the context of this post, is like putting a steel door in front of your dreams and not having a key. It’s a door you can’t break down (here’s how you break a door down that isn’t steel). Who knew a simple, five-letter word can block your dreams and limit your actions. When we use the word never, it’s actually a substitute for fear. A fear of failure, of embarrassment, of not living up to our potential and the list could go on and on. It’s an easy out for us…

As a professional athlete and budding entrepreneur I am always chasing success. In the athletic world, if I do not produce at a high level in competition, I will no longer be a pro athlete. As a business owner, if I do not produce at a high level in the marketplace, I will no longer be in business. It does not matter the industry you are in, the stakes to be successful are high. This sent me on a mission to learn from others who have been successful.   Photo credit: Jhyl LoughlinI had the pleasure (or so I thought) of sitting down with a gentleman who had been very successful in his “profession” and I was eager to learn the tricks of the trade. I had my notebook, a pen and an open mind ready to absorb the steps I needed to take in order to be successful. As our meeting progressed, it became very clear that I do not want to operate like this gentleman. What he calls success is not the type of success I am looking to achieve. His “success” steps boiled down to three points: 1. Look out for yourself, and only yourself. 2. It’s OK to rack up credit card debt for the sake of short-term success. You can pay it off later. 3. After any victory, big or small, celebrate in a manner that will upset your competitors. It’s how you stay on top. As I left our meeting and processed the information he provided over the last hour, I realized it was the absolute worst advice I have ever received regarding success. The type of success he was talking about was superficial, fleeting and annoying. Sure he might have gotten to the top of his profession, but it is only a matter…

We all have the same amount of time in a day. 24 hours to eat, sleep, produce, enjoy and repeat. Some days, it starts to feel like the line on the back of the shampoo bottle, “Lather, Rinse, Repeat”. Have you ever been pressed for time? Where the time in your day just doesn’t seem to add up? Have you ever wished for more time to tackle your ever-growing to-do list? If so, I hate to break it to you, but you’re normal. At some point or another, we all have felt pressed for time and wish there was a better way to consciously control the allotted time we have throughout the day.   Photo credit: Julie de WaroquierWhile I don’t have all the answers, I’m going to give you a few of my tried and true solutions to this. The first step is that we must be intentional with the time we have been given. Many of us work…ok, just about all of us work! And if you’re not working, you are most likely in school. So lets call school, work. Although we would love to control the time spend at work, sometimes it takes us on bunny trails. Have you ever followed a bunny trail in the field or in the woods? It starts off as a clear-cut trail but then ultimately leads to nothing. During the workday, we get pulled in multiple directions and we have to filter through which direction we need to pursue. Dr. Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about how a quadrant two leader (the best kind of leader) focuses on things that are important, yet not urgent. When you focus on what is truly important, you’re taking preventive steps to reduce the risk of becoming…

The Rivera Maya located in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula is one of the top travel destinations in the world. The resort at El Dorado Royale (located 47 kilometers south of Cancun) is one of the top rated resorts north of the equator and my wife and I found out firsthand why. We had the pleasure of celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary at this extravagant all-inclusive resort. From the swim up casita suite to 24-hour room service, we took four days to indulge, celebrate and reminisce on our first year as husband and wife!   Our view from dinner at El Dorado Royale Resort. Photo credit: Amanda S. Quinn  INDULGE At an all-inclusive resort, it’s easy to indulge. Actually, I’m pretty sure it is encouraged. This was my first time as an all-inclusive guest and I loved it! We paid for our trip in advance, so once we arrived at the property, I didn’t have to pull my wallet out once for food, drinks or activities. It was awesome! One thing I also found very easy to do was indulge in all the resort amenities. For four days we could eat, drink and enjoy everything El Dorado Royale had to offer. While I made sure we got our money’s worth, I had a thought run across my mind. What if I indulge every day for what it has to offer? Regardless of my circumstances and current situation, what if I took advantage of every opportunity (or obstacle) that presented itself daily. Now I am going to need some wisdom to do that, because I can’t do everything that pulls for my attention, and neither can you. But what if, as we look through the lense of wisdom, we approach each day, fully present and fully committed. I have no doubt, with that…