“Stop trying to overcome your weaknesses. Start leaning into your strengths.”
There’s a scene in the movie From the World of John Wick: Ballerina that struck something deep in me.
A young girl Eve Macarro is training as a ballerina and an assassin/bodyguard under the director, the leader of the Ruska Roma, a New York-based organization of ballerina assassins. and her Nogi. But during the fight scenes, she keeps losing — repeatedly — against a male opponent. No matter how hard she tries to beat him on his terms, she fails.
Until her Nogi aka her mentor tells her something that changes everything.
After she took another beating, her nogi asked her:
“Why did you fail?”
She responded: “He is too strong.”
The mentor:
“Do you really believe that strength has anything to do with whether you win or lose? You will always be weaker. You will always be smaller and at a disadvantage. He is beating you because you are allowing him to define the terms of the contest. You want to win? Change the terms. Improvise, adapt, cheat. Lean into your strengths, not his. Fight like a girl.”
And just like that — the energy shifts. She leans into her strengths. She stops copycatting. And for the first time, she wins. 💥
🧠 Real Life Is the Same Battlefield
That scene reminded me of something I witnessed in real life — in an office I once worked in.
There was a middle-aged woman who had been in the company for years. She did the same tasks every day — never deviated, never explored beyond her routine. Then one day, a young Gen Z woman was hired… and became her boss.
Suddenly, the dynamics changed.
This young girl was fluent in technology, sharp with numbers, and confident in new systems. The older woman — let’s be real — struggled to even complete a basic Excel formula. But instead of recognizing the gap and focusing on what she could do, she tried to compete.
She went to the head of department and demanded equal responsibility. The boss gave her a task: produce a simple analytical report. She spent eight hours on it. Not because it was complex… but because it was foreign to her mind. For someone who had never been mentally stretched, it felt like punishment.
She delivered a poor report.
She got sick from the stress.
She didn’t show up to work the next day.
💬 What I Told Her
When she returned, I gently pulled her aside and told her the truth:
“You’re not here to compete with her. You’re from different generations. She’s learning new tools every day. You haven’t evolved your skillset in years.
Focus on your strengths. Improve your lane. Learn how to write better emails. Start there.”
It wasn’t about putting her down.
It was about reminding her that self-awareness is power.
That growth doesn’t come from imitation — it comes from intelligent alignment.
💎 Know Thyself
“Know thyself.”
One of the most powerful pieces of advice you’ll ever receive.
Stop looking at what others are doing with ease and thinking that’s where you’re supposed to be.
Stop assuming their strength should be yours.
Stop killing your own confidence trying to master what doesn’t belong to your natural design.
What if you leaned into your genius instead of trying to “fix” your flaws?
What if your real power isn’t in overcoming your weaknesses…
But in unleashing your strengths?
👊🏾 Fight Like a Girl
You don’t need to fight like a man.
You don’t need to beat people at their game.
You need to fight like a girl — your way.
Strategically. Intuitively. Boldly. Beautifully.
And this applies to every area of your life:
- In business
- In leadership
- In creativity
- In relationships
- In money
Stop minimizing your gifts to maximize someone else’s.
You were never meant to be a replica.
You were meant to be a force.
✨ Your Reflection
Take a moment to ask yourself:
- Where am I trying to compete where I’m not designed to?
- What strengths have I been ignoring while obsessing over my flaws?
- What would it look like to stop copy-pasting and start owning?
- Where in my life do I need to fight like a girl?
💛 Final Word
Your breakthrough doesn’t live in imitation.
It lives in authentic alignment.
So, stop apologizing for who you’re not.
Stand tall in who you are.
That’s where your success, peace, and power are waiting.
Fight like a girl — and win like a woman. 🥊🌸
With fierce love,
Salima
