Why Work Ethic Outlasts Natural Talent on and off the Field - S2E16

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Ever seen a superstar get benched and wondered why? Coach Mikki pulls back the curtain on a season full of hard choices, where raw talent collides with team standards and the scoreboard isn’t the only thing that matters. We walk through the moments that test a coach’s resolve, when gifted players skip practice, expect to be “plugged in” on game day, and force a decision between chasing a quick win or protecting the culture eighty-seven other athletes have earned.

From the trenches of the D-line and special teams, we share what trust really looks like: first on the field, last to leave, coachable in the quiet moments, and relentless when no one’s watching. Coach Mikki lays out why passion and drive aren’t clichés but competitive advantages that compound, and why entitlement, arrogance, and ego always tax a locker room. There’s tough love in these stories. Two players walked away when the standard didn’t bend, and there are clear takeaways for life beyond the field: your past highlights don’t pay today’s rent; your habits do.

We also dig into a simple question that changes everything: is it can’t or won’t? That filter strips away excuses, exposes avoidance, and puts ownership back where it belongs. If you want a blueprint for earning your reps, whether at work, in sports, or in personal goals, this conversation provides you with the language, mindset, and standards to hold. Start strong, finish strong, and dominate everthing in between with consistent effort, honest feedback, and a commitment to team over ego.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs tough love, and leave a review telling us your take: does hustle beat talent where you are?

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:31):
Hey, bring it in.
Bring it in.
Listen up.
Listen up.
Hey, I'm Coach Mickey, andyou're here on Fourth One
Mindset.
And it's been a while since I'vehad a chance to come on because
I'm in the middle of my seasonand uh we're at game seven
already, and I can't believe howquickly it went.
But like any other season, uhthere is the same standard, same
things that I see year afteryear after year.

(00:54):
And one of the things that Iwanted to share with you today
that I think is prevalent reallyin anything we do, whether it's
on the field or off the field,that I have seen over and over
again, and it's true to lifeeach and every time, and that is
drive and passion is farexceeding over talent.

(01:15):
And why do I say that?
Because every single time, everysingle year, I will see uh one
or two extraordinary playersthat are just they're great
athletes, they really are.
However, their work ethic, theirtalent is great, but their work
ethic and their drive andpassion has got a lot to be

(01:35):
desired.
And what makes it veryfrustrating for me as a coach is
that when you've got kids thatcome onto the field that can
really execute and do reallywell, but don't want to show up
for practice, or don't want tobe team players, or think that
they're the exclusion ofeverything else that everybody

(01:56):
else is doing, it makes it verydifficult as a coach to be able
to make a very hard choice.
And this is where I thinksometimes we have uh
disagreements as coaches becauseit comes down to okay, we want
to win a game.
However, when you've got 87other people standing here

(02:20):
behind you that are workingreally hard and knowing that
somebody else can walk out onthe field on game day and just
be plugged in, it makes it veryhard to explain that not only to
the other players that areworking very hard, but also to
the parents that know their kidsare working very hard.
So I wanted to kind of coverthis today.
Now, this year I'm not a headcoach.

(02:41):
Uh, however, my my D line andspecial teams, um, I plug in the
people that are doing the work.
And they are also the ones thatwill stay after, you know,
they'll stay after practice,they come in before practice,
they stay late, they're alwaysthe first one to come on, the
last one to leave.
They're always trying to excel,they're always trying to get

(03:03):
better, they're always trying tostep up and show up.
And those are the players that Ivalue.
And this is like anything elsein life, you know, regardless of
where you stand, regardless ofwhere you are, you have got to
pick a time frame and decide atwhat point are you going to step
up above and beyond, regardlessof what's happening, regardless

(03:25):
of where you are in your level,regardless of who's doing better
than you.
Because in the end of the day,you're only competing with
yourself.
And that's something I alwaystell my guys.
You're competing with yourself,you're not competing with
everybody else.
And when you show up and do 100%of what you are able to do that
day, that's what's going to makeyou a winner.

(03:45):
That's what's going to be whatputs you into the extraordinary
column of everybody else.
Yeah, talent's a gift, you know,and it's a natural ability.
And a lot of times it comes easyfor some people, but I've seen
it over time.
If the work ethic isn't there,then the talent's going to fade
because people are not going toput up with the other stuff that

(04:09):
comes with it.
The arrogance, the ego, the umjust the abrasiveness.
And and it's unfortunate becauseI did see over this season, I
did see two players quit becausethey didn't show up for
practice.
They expected to play game dayand be plugged in because they
were superstars last year.

(04:30):
And when it came down to no,that's not the way it works.
Uh, they decided to leave.
And it really saddened me.
I was really sad to see thathappen because this is wasn't
about being the starter on afootball team.
This was about quitting becauseyou didn't get what you wanted.
This is about quitting becauseyou weren't willing to step up

(04:52):
and do the work to prove thatyou deserve to be in that
position.
And just like everything inlife, you have to be able to go
through some obstacles andyou're gonna deal with things.
And there's always gonna be morepeople out there that are maybe
better than you or doing itbetter.
But it doesn't mean that youquit.
And that was what was sad aboutthat.

(05:15):
You know, passion is gonna bethe fire that sets behind you,
and it's gonna be the reasonthat you show up again and again
and again, even through thefailures, even when it doesn't
work, even when there's timeswhere you've got other people or
you're you're you don't feellike doing it.
And it just that drive is whatmakes you become unstoppable.

(05:37):
It's also what actually bringsyou to the next level.
And your passion is somethingthat you have to want.
That comes from within.
I can't teach that as a coach.
I can I can teach you technique,I can teach you the game, I can
teach you things I've learnedthrough experience.
I can't even teach you lifeskills.
But what I can't teach you andwhat I can't give you is drive

(05:59):
and passion.
That has to come from within.
That comes from what you decide,what you desire, and what you
want every day, even when youdon't feel like doing it, even
when you're tired, even when uhyou've got to step up when it
matters the most.
That's what creates legacy.
So I'm sharing this with youbecause I'm really over the

(06:24):
excuses and and the reasons why,and and hearing that, you know,
hey, why can't I, why don't I?
And instead of instead of makingexcuses, I want to see them step
up.
Step up, step in, show up, youknow, show me what you've got,
go above and beyond, trainharder, learn, get out there.

(06:48):
You know, I'm willing to teachyou as a coach to get you to
that point, but what I can't dois I can't make you do it.
And although I know this was allgeared towards football, I
wanted to be able to expressthis because I see it day in and
day out, not only on the field,but I see it off the field.
You know, I have people andclients that still come to me

(07:08):
and tell me why they can't andgive me every excuse under the
sun of what's gonna happen.
And my question to them isthere's no such thing as can't,
but I do believe in won't.
So I have to ask, it's like, youknow, is it you can't do it or
you won't do it?
You know, is it not within youor is it something that you're
avoiding?

(07:28):
So I'm gonna leave you withthat.
And again, it's one of those thehardest things I have to do as a
coach.
It's tough love.
But if there's something youreally want, then this is the
opportunity that you've got totake to show up for yourself and
start doing the work to be ableto get you where you need to be.
All right.
So let's start strong and finishstrong.

(07:49):
And let's dominate everything inbetween.
I'm Coach Mickey.
See ya.