OL Brian Folkerts joins Pro Mindset Podcast to inspire us with his ability to push through adversity and maintain an incredibly strong mindset. Brian played college football at Washburn University and went on to play professional football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, the Arena League, Carolina Panthers, the 49ers, Rams,
AAF and XFL St. Louis Battlehawks. Never once did Brian consider giving up through his time as a professional. Brian shared this quote: “If you're going be willing to push through some adversity you just got to, you got to really believe in yourself and you got to be really willing to fight for it. And that's what I did.” Listeners will be interested about the kind of mindset that Brian believes you have to have in the NFL. NFL players come from all different colleges and divisions, but all these players have to have a specific mindset in order to succeed. Brian shares this quote from Kobe Bryant, “Everyone wants to do good. Everyone wants to win. But not everybody has the willingness to prepare to win.” Players all want to succeed but what will they do to be able to get there is what sets them apart.
During the podcast, Brian shares his physical limitations and what he does to make up for his lack of physicality. Brian has been one of the smallest linemen on every NFL team he has been on, so his mental approach and preparation has to make-up for his size limitations.
Brian and Craig agreed “that it's a tremendous mental step to recognize your physical limitations, but don't let them limit your career.” Just because some players might not be the exact physical type that coaches are looking for, that doesn’t mean they can’t make up for it by being reliable and consistent in other ways. In short, having a Pro Mindset!
Lastly, Brian talks about when NFL Team cuts are coming up. He shares how it can really disrupt your mindset if that is the only thing you’re focusing on. He says, “You really just gotto let all that go and just focus on what you can control.” You can only focus on what you can control and keep working on improving yourself instead of focusing on stuff that is out of your control. Brian offered a lot of great information on what it took for him to succeed and what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
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