Brian O'Driscoll Quotes

I have met a lot of athletes who were on the top of their sport, and then sat around and did nothing. They just didn't know what to do.

I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that in my life I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into. And I didn't realize the grip that baseball had on me and on my family.

I love track and field, but I also know the day will come when I will have to do something else.

Although I've had several major career changes, I was extremely hesitant about making some of them.

I am just at that stage of wondering where I go from here. I came into this business almost by accident, but now it has become serious. What started as a bit of fun, something to do other than be a model, has taken on a different career curve. I have been forced to ask where that curve is going to end up.

I had a bonding problem when I went off and boxed for five years. I was over in Europe and Asia fighting because I wanted to do something different; I was tired of acting. But the thing is, when I was done doing that, I couldn't get a job.

Switching from one career to another can be scary, but it also can be a thrilling experience. Look at it as an opportunity to really go after what you want to accomplish in life and make a difference in the world. The key is to take small, conscious steps and prepare yourself for a successful transition.

After 'Raymond,' there was this big feeling of, 'What do I do next?'

I was in college that first semester, and I was like, 'Wow, this isn't who I am. This isn't what I want to do.' I was like, 'Oh God, I'm going to have to go out and make something of myself, and I have no clue what that is.'

I have all this time between projects, and I'm not so sure that's a healthy thing. It's scary, because at 36 I'm woefully unqualified for anything else.

This conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience.

I'm not an educated woman. What am I gonna do for the rest of my life? I'm an athlete... And now I have absolutely nothing.

I'm happy that the sacrificing, the hard training, the travel, the time being away from the family, is going to stop. So I'm happy; I'm glad about that. But I'm also terrified. Frightened. Because, I mean, in my whole adult life, cycling was the most consistent thing I ever did.

As a sports person, you are always aware that at some point your career is coming to an end and you have to do something else. I always knew it had to end one day, and I was very determined to make sure I wasn't going to be known as an ex-racing driver.

When I got out of the Marine Corps, I didn't have much guidance.

After working as a charter boat captain and dive master in the Caribbean for a number of years, I decided it was time for a change.

I had no clue what I wanted to do. I tried nursing, I tried science, I tried English. I just kept bouncing back and forth.

After the Pussycat Dolls, I was burnt out. So when I left them in 2010, I did take a second to say, 'Right, I've done this for seven years. Who the hell am I as an individual? Do I still want to do this?'

To be honest, I have no idea what happens after my career.

I do think about them things, life after football. What type of person I want to be.

I think it's very important that you don't start thinking about your life after football when you are 33 or 34. There are many more amazing things in this world, and it's important to think about these things before you retire.

I just want to maximize my time here on the football field and after that, I don't know what I'll do. I can coach, I can do a lot of things.

When you've been at the top of the sport for so many years, it's your life, and it becomes very difficult just to quit boxing and find something else to be happy.

As my athletic career was coming to an end in 2007, I asked myself, do I want to work for somebody, or go out and make a difference?

I didn't want to come to the end of my career and think, 'What next?'