Lessons From Kobe Bryant
As I was scrolling through Reddit on Saturday, I saw a post on the helicopter tragedy that affected many lives, including Kobe and his daughter. The death of Kobe Bryant has rocked the world and shocked the sports community. I grew up watching Kobe Bryant and even though I envied him because I was a Celtics fan, Kobe outworked everyone. I remember watching a documentary about his work ethic and I was astonished how he would practice at 4:30 AM with a broken hand.
He was obsessed with getting better and the only way to outwork his competition was to put a ridiculous number of hours.
During my high school years, I would listen to motivational videos that showcased his career. He inspired me to work extremely hard at my craft.
The lessons that Kobe has taught could be applied in every field and below, I am going to share with three lessons that will motivate you to keep pushing your limits.
1. Make Sacrifices Every Day.
Kobe Bryant practiced hours every day and sacrificed short term happiness for a longer-term gain. If you want to be great at your craft, you have to inherently sacrifice activities that can jeopardize your career. Imagine partying every weekend and you want to compete with founders that put work on every waking hour. Successful people have incredible self-awareness and outwork everyone else. You have to make sacrifices and eliminate toxic people that get in your way.
2. Belief In Your Work
The most important trait that an individual must have before they embark on their journey to believe in their work. I remember listening to a podcast and Kobe mentioned how he didn’t score a single point in the entire summer. How many of you would keep going if you receive one hundred rejections? Kobe was thirteen years old when he experienced this failure. Many of us would be upset if we receive too many rejections and it is human nature. The next time you didn’t get the job you wanted or the university that didn’t accept you, keep believing in yourself. Indeed, there are hopes and opportunities that will come knocking on your door.
1. Plan Your Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Goals.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and you are not going to become successful overnight. During my freshman year, I remember reading Michael Gladwell’s book Outliers and he mentions that you need at least 10,000 hours to become a top performer in your craft. Just imagine how many hours a surgeon studied before they performed their first surgery! A typical All-Star NHL player began playing hockey during elementary school and they constantly practiced every week. In the case of Kobe Bryant, he deliberately began practicing hours of open shots and gradually, he got better. I struggled years in fulfilling my goals but recently I found out that, instead of wishing to accomplish dozens of goals, focus three to five goals that would improve your life.
There are many lessons that Kobe shared with the word and his stories will keep inspiring everyone in years to come.
I leave you with one quote that Mamba will be proud of. “Rest at the end, not in the middle”
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