​Cameron Hanes is a well-known American athlete, podcaster, influencer, bowhunter, and brand owner.  Born on October 22, 1967, in Eugene, Oregon, Cam still lives near there and works for the Springfield Utility Board. So how does a small-town guy become this larger than life motivational icon? In today's article, we aimed to find out. 

I just finished reading Jump by Larry Miller. Larry who? 

Larry Miller was the former chairman of The Jordan Brand and also served as the General Manager of the Portland Trailblazers. 

His rise to business fame, however, was a bit different than most. 

I recently finished Shaken by Tim Tebow. While this book has been around for a while (2017), I'm glad I finally took the time to read it. 
While some are turned off by Tebow's rather open spirituality, I walked away pretty convinced that just about anybody could benefit from reading this. With that, here were my key takeaways. 

Hey everyone, it's John. 

Something I think a lot about is just how each day is ultimately as successful as I want it to be. 

You mean, every day is great? No, in fact, I'm affirming that not every day can be great if your definition of "great" involves outcomes. 

It's taken me a long time to figure this out. 

Years ago, if a game wasn't won, a business deal completed, or a day off maximized, I felt unsatisfied. And maybe that's what today's post is really about: satisfaction. 

For me right now, I find it much easier to find satisfaction because it's less about the outcomes and more about myself: what did I do to move the ball forward? What positive interactions did I have with other people? How many times did I make my kids smile? 

The beauty of all of this is that I control the actions. Not in a micromanagey way, but in a way that simply echoes responsibility. How others behave towards me, the final decision from a potential client on a business deal, the volatility involved with having young children at home. All of this is a part of my life, and while there are certainly emotions that I feel during the challenging parts, ultimately I choose how I react. I choose my demeanor when my wife walks in the door or when I drop the ball. I choose how to say "I'm sorry." 

You see, my life isn't perfect, and neither is yours. And with social media and remote work, it can be tough sometimes to feel heard, validated, and/or praised. But even then, the perspective you have is the silver lining in this whole equation. Tell me your whole story.....explain the setbacks, external factors, mean people...the list goes on and on. 

Perspective is that ace in the deck. The ability to overcome it all. The opportunity to put your head on the pillow at the end of each day and simply say "great job." 

May you find the peace that comes with it. 

​With the Olympics kicking off tonight, I always look forward to watching track & field.

The sport was my first love when my parents let me join a track club when I was 8. At that time, the youngest division for races was 9-10 years old, so I'd go to these track meets and get smoked. I'd get smoked at practice too because all the other kids were much older than me. In hindsight, I was blessed to be training with some incredible athletes, but they were just the "big kids" then. (For context, one became a Division One decathlete and eventual doctor, another played in the NFL and is now the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, and another would actually win a track gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens). 

Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Master's on Sunday, shooting a total score of -11 and beating second place, Ludvig Aberg, by four strokes. 

While I don't watch a ton of golf, watching Sunday's final round at the Masters is something I really enjoy. For one, the course is absolutely beautiful and one of a kind in my eyes. Two, I love the fact that a single event brings the best players in the game, regardless of country or age, to a single tournament. Finally, the pressure to play your absolute best is front and center. Even the best in the world feel it, and you see golfers either rise or fall on the leaderboard in a single round.  

Teams from the youth level all the way to the professional ranks are reading books together. Business teams are reading books together. Church groups: reading together. 

While I love to read alone, there's a certain energy that comes with a book discussion. You and I may read the same chapter and have completely different thoughts or reactions. 

Reading in itself produces ideas, but just imagine the magnitude of ideas that come from a product group book discussion. 

Today, I'm going to recommend several books to read as a team. I'm going to steer clear of sport-specific books so that this list is applicable to a wider audience. 

There's nothing better than wrapping up a successful week and having something fun to look forward to on the weekend. The only problem is that eventually the weekend ends, Monday begins, and we're back to the grind. 

In today's article, I'm going to share some of my favorite Monday Motivation techniques. I'll vary the mediums so that no matter what your preferences are, there will be something for you. I'm also going to vary the strategies because not everyone appreciates being talked at. By the end, there will be something that catches your eye. It will then be up to you to implement it. 

Several months ago, I wrote an article that outlined some of the best sports speeches that I had ever heard. The article was multi-purpose: I wanted to get people fired up but also hoped that players, parents, and coaches alike could learn from each one. 

In the months since, I've gotten a lot of requests for speech texts, as in "that speech was great, but do you have a copy of it that I can print out?"