A Question Every Student Should Be Asked
The power of believing in oneself is invaluable. To achieve anything all of us must believe in our abilities. Self belief can be fostered in the classroom. The words we use and how we treat our students plays a big role in the identity that they create for themselves. This episode dives into one question that we should be asking our students daily. It's a question that was instrumental in helping Super Bowl Champion Russell Wilson pave his way into the NFL. As a young man his father would ask him "Why not you?". This single question helped Russel Wilson create a limitless mindset and is a big part of his success today. As educators it is important that we create a limitless mindset in our students.
I'm Brian Martin, a second grade teacher who find so much joy and fulfillment in what I do. Being in the classroom for almost 20 years, I know all about the time, effort and energy that you are continuously pouring into those you serve. That's why each week, I'm going to bring you an inspiring message to give you a little joy, and help fill your cup back up. Thank you for being here. And welcome to the teaching champions podcast. What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. Now, if you're a football fan, or someone in your home as a football fan, then you know that this past weekend was the NFL Draft. And there's always so much buzz and excitement surrounding it. In the special thing about the draft is you see these young men and their families who have poured so much time, energy and effort into mastering a craft, so they could be one of the best in the world at it. And these young men, they've dreamed about hearing their name call for the draft since they were little kids. And you just can't help but being happy for them. And I'm getting older. And I'm becoming extremely sentimental. But I found myself getting emotional, seeing these athletes and their loved ones tear up and celebrate that moment. And I think it's just an understanding that for them to get to that moment where they're sitting there with their families, waiting for their names to be called. There's a lot that has to come into play. from physical conditioning, learning the fine points of the game, the hours upon hours spent training, suffering, setback, suffering defeats, and that ability to keep pushing yourself and keep going. And at some point along their journey, there had to be a moment where they stepped back and said, Why not me? When they were in their teenage years, and they're sitting in front of the TV, watching the NFL Draft, at some level of voice in their head had to say, why not me. And I was listening to Russell Wilson speak the other day. And if you don't know who Russell Wilson is, he plays for the Seattle Seahawks. He's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. He's a Super Bowl champion. He's banned the Pro Bowl eight times in nine years. And he's one of the best in the world today. And one thing about Russell Wilson is along his journey, he had to face doubters. He had to face naysayers, all the people who didn't believe in him. Russell Wilson is five foot 11 the average height of an NFL quarterback is six foot three, and then might not seem like much of a difference. But the NFL is a billion dollar industry. And everything is meticulously scrutinized. So he was an outlier. And he was told time and time again from outsiders, that he wasn't big enough to play in the league. So how do you block out that noise? When despite all that you do? People are always telling you, you can. One thing Russell Wilson said is his dad would drive him home from games as a kid. And they would have to pretend interviews where his dad would be interviewing Russell after he won the Super Bowl. He also said that his dad would continuously ask them a simple question. Why not you? Russ? Why not you? And after hearing that message over and over again in his mind. Russell said that meant Believe in yourself. Believe in the talent that God has given you even though you're five foot 11 and you can go a long way. And this question has been so profound for Russell Wilson, that he has the why not you Foundation and the why not you Academy where their mission is instill in youth a why not you mentality. Now our students need to hear this. They need to adopt this mentality. And it doesn't happen overnight. And it requires us planting that seed and watering it and nurturing it day after day, year after year. Think about our own lives. Speaking for myself. I can look back in my life. And the vast majorities of my biggest regrets center around a lack of self belief, where I imposed limitations on myself, where I stepped back and I fell prey to comparison traps and I self sabotage myself, where I didn't even step up and try. Maybe you can relate to that. The stories that we tell ourselves about who we are, and what we can do, they matter. And it's easy to pursue goals when everyone's cheering you on, when everything's going great. But when it's not, when you face those setbacks, when voices are coming at you that are negative, and they want to pull you down, you have to have that self belief. And it has to be deep inside you. Think about everything that our students face today, the obstacles and challenges that they face. Just think about social media and how that's changing the world. And the next level of comparisons that they'll have to face, and how easy it is for naysayers, to post negative things online about them. And take a moment and think about how you can relay that message to your champions, how you can make that visible to them. Imagine the mental strength that we can create in our champions, if they enter our classroom, and for 180 days, they hear a message about why not you. And then the next year, they hear that message of why not you and we build and we build and we build off of that, so that when their time comes, they never hold themselves back. When they see others on social media. They don't fall into comparison traps. And when they face setbacks in their subconscious mind. And in their conscious mind. They can look at themselves in the mirror. And they can say why not me? Thank you for supporting the teaching champions podcast, I appreciate you. It's all about serving and lifting each other up. So if you could subscribe, rate or share this podcast, I would truly appreciate it. And always remember, it doesn't matter for from rural America, to urban America, to Canada to Spain to Bahrain. We're all on that same team. We're all on that same mission. And we're always better together. And my challenge for you this week, is take a little time, reflect journal. What's the one thing that you're holding yourself back? And it doesn't matter if it's big or small. As long as it matters to you. What are you holding yourself back from? I'm asking you. Why not you? Why not? You keep being amazing, my friends. And as we go out into this week, may you step into your strength, may you step into your shine, and let's build these champions up. Have a great week, everybody.
