Turn Weakness Into Strength For Success - S2E2

This episode challenges conventional views on weakness by presenting it as a pathway to strength and growth. Coach Mikki discusses how recognizing and can embracing weaknesses can foster resilience and success, using his experiences with coaching linemen as key examples.

• Embracing weakness as a vital component to strength 
• The central role of linemen in teamwork and success 
• The importance of rigorous training and collective effort 
• Self-reflection as a tool for personal and professional growth 
• Celebrating small victories during the journey to improvement 
• Individualized approaches to personal development and achievement 
• Facing challenges as opportunities for empowerment

Transcript

Strength Through Recognizing Weaknesses

Coach Mikki 0:01

Hey , come on , bring it in , bring it in , listen up , listen up , everybody , listen up . Hey , I'm Coach Mickey , you're here on 431 Mindset . Seeing your weakness is really the path to true strength . And what do I mean by that ? Let's see . So how many times maybe have you said to yourself I can't do this , I'm not qualified to do this . Hey , I screwed it up last time . Maybe this is something I'm just not prepared and ready for . And that's okay to understand and have these elements . But when you acknowledge that weakness , you're not admitting defeat . It really is the first step to turning the minute .

Coach Mikki 0:45

All your strengths , you know , just like in football , we watch film and after every game , you know , we can pick apart each and every play and each and every player and show them where . Maybe they missed a block , or there was the footwork was wrong , or maybe they ran the wrong route , whatever , maybe the snap count was out . Why did we pull a flag , you know ? Because we were off sides and everything is not just to point out all of the bad things and identify you as a screw-up . It's to show you where your weaknesses are and what needs to be worked on . When we recognize our weaknesses , it really gives us the upper hand to become better . You know , the strength is really built within the gaps . And what do I mean by that ? If we did everything perfect all the time and everything was going really well , there's one or two things happening . One , you're not growing anymore and you've stifled yourself to limitations , because you're only focusing on what can work compared to what's not working . And two , you're afraid to step out of that comfort zone because you know that if you do , you're going to have to relearn , change and maybe re-evaluate some of the things that you've been doing to be able to move you forward to that next step , of the things that you've been doing to be able to move you forward to that next step .

Coach Mikki 2:12

And I'll give you an example . I've come into a lot of teams , or I've gotten teams where they've been coached through the years and you know , every coach has got their own coaching style , nothing about that . But I've also learned that there are some elements that some players just can't do compared to what the coach's expectations are . Now , when I come in and I coach , I don't coach people based on my expectations . I make them understand what their expectations should be .

Coach Mikki 2:38

So now my favorite are the linemen , love linemen . To me , in my humble opinion , linemen are the heart of the team . Nothing happens without the linemen , nothing happens without the center , nothing happens without the guards , nothing happens without the tackles , because if you don't have a strong line , I don't care how good your quarterback is , he's not going to get any pass off or handoff or anything else if you do not have a strong line . Now , with that being said , the linemen , their job is to give me 110% for six seconds and maybe five yards , and they have to do it in unison . They have to know their job . They have to know exactly what to do and do it with full strength , over and over and over again , while they're giving time to a quarterback back in the pocket who's got maybe two to three seconds to figure out how to get that ball off and out of his hands .

Coach Mikki 3:37

But what I did notice is that a lot of times when we do our practices , a lot of times the lin alignment always struggle . They're not able to run as fast as the skill guys , their agility , their endurance . It's a lot different . And so I've pulled them all aside and I said okay , look , this is what we're going to do , what I need from you guys is I need a commitment of strength , speed and endurance for six seconds every single play , and I need you to be able to do that with everything you've got . So the last thing I really need for you to do is know that you can run up and down this field at 100 yards six times . Skill guys yeah , I need that . I need that speed , I need that agility .

Coach Mikki 4:25

So I always like to train and have the guys push the sled and I want them not to see their size as a weakness . I want them to see their size as a strength , and I'm not talking about the fact that they're 230 , 250 , 260 . I want them to see that what they have and who they are is one of the strongest assets to this team . And when we push that sled , you know usually there's four . On a small sled there's probably four . You know there's five slots on the sled to be able to push on a larger sled .

Coach Mikki 5:04

But one of the things I've told these guys when we're doing this is I want you to push it . I'll make them push it like 10 yards and they'll go , and I have them give them everything they've got , whether they're using their feet , keeping their head up , using their hands , using everything they've got . You know whether they're using their feet keeping their head up . You know , using their hands , using everything they've got to push that sled and the time frame that they're pushing it . We'll do it in increments and I'll have them go down , push it for 10 yards , go down , push it for 10 yards , we'll go maybe 50 yards , flip it around , come back . Now . That in itself is pretty well a difficult practice , but they do it .

Coach Mikki 5:42

And then , when we're done , I always say to them okay , guys , so think about the person that's in front of you . How much do you think they're going to weigh ? I mean , when you start looking at defense , depending on what they're going to run whether it's a 3-4 or 4-3 , whatever they've got in front of you , whatever the guy is in front of you , how much do they weigh ? And like , oh you know , they're probably about their size and I'm saying maybe the D tackles , dns , are going to be a lot faster and smaller , so you've got to really get in front of them . However , how much do they weigh ? Like , maybe , you know , who knows , maybe $1.90 . Some might be in their $200s . If you're looking at the defensive tackles . How much does this slay weigh ? 1,500 pounds . So you're going to tell me that five of you if you count the center , you got the five of you guys that are up on the front you're pushing 1,500 pounds , maybe a little bit more . So how easy is it going to be when you come off the line and you just push the guy in front of you , but you do it together , and if you're double teaming , man , these people shouldn't even get through .

Coach Mikki 6:48

So how does this really apply to our everyday life ? You know , proof of strength is your struggle . It really is , because there's going to be things that you're going to do that maybe you're not good at in the beginning . However , the more you work on it and the more you focus on it , the better you're going to get at it , and that takes a lot to be able to say , okay , let me reflect on what my past challenges have been and how do I overcome them . How do I get through this ? You know how do I strengthen that muscle ? And you have to be able to have the courage to say , okay , I'm really not good at this now . However , if I keep focusing on it , I can get better in the long run , and it's not about failure or what you're up for or what you know what these challenges are

Embracing Small Victories for Strength

Coach Mikki 7:39

. It's about .

Coach Mikki 7:39

What do you take away from it that you can actually create these small victories ? You know it's getting up every single time and doing something that's uncomfortable . It's getting up every single time and doing something that's uncomfortable . It's going and facing these things that maybe give you a hard time . Maybe it's facing the people that give you a hard time . Can't tell you how many times I've dealt with that , but I've learned not to allow what they've got to say and what they think affect who I am and what I really , truly believe .

Coach Mikki 8:07

My capability is . Compared to what everybody else thinks , my capability is , you're the only one that's going to be able to look at your life each and every day and go did I really step up and give it all ? If you know for a fact that you don't need to run 100 yards three times , six times , all you need to do is give it your all for six seconds , give it your all for five yards , then do that and every single time you have these little small victories you know , reward yourself . Show that . It's evidence of your strength , it's your growth , it's who you are .

Coach Mikki 8:44

Just because what works for somebody else doesn't necessarily mean that is the cookie cutter way that's always going to work for you . Each and every player on my field is an individual and I've learned over the years that what might have worked for some is not going to work for all . And it's the same thing with what we do . Everybody's got an opinion , everybody's got an idea , everybody's got a goal and a structure or a strategy that might work for them . But you have to look and see what's working for you , and not only what's working for you , but what are the little things that you can do that is going to help lift you up , to make you this incredible , unstoppable person .

Coach Mikki 9:29

So you want to celebrate the small wins . Remember , your toughest days are going to be your strongest moments . They really are , and that's going to be the ability for you to be able to shine and lift yourself up and move forward and empower who you are . So don't worry about what your weaknesses are , because those weaknesses are really your biggest strength . You know you've survived every bad day . You might as well take that strength and celebrate it and use it to your advantage and use it to who you are . You know you are going to be amazing and you've got to be able to take the little things that are your hardest things and make them your biggest strengths . Bring it in , bring it in , go on out there , let's go . Let's go start strong and finish strong and dominate everything in between . I'm coach mickey Go get them .