In 2016, Kobe Bryant retired at the age of 37, scoring 60 points in the last game against Utah Jazz. I remember watching the game replay during lunch time with memory flashbacks and mixed emotions. It felt like part of my youth ended.
In 2020, Kobe died. I did not know how to react. it felt like part of me died.
In 2024, I am 37-year old and realise that Kobe has never left. He continues to be part of my life, being the source of motivation, as he has been, over the past 20 years. Whenever I face difficulties, need guidance or make tough decisions, I would ask 'what would Kobe do?'.
Therefore, THANK YOU, Kobe.
Thank you for teaching me that hard work pays off.
Thank you for showing me how to learn from mistakes and come back from failures.
Thank you for keeping me on my toes and pushing me to be the best version that I am capable of being.
You say, 'rest in the end, not in the middle'. I wish the end had never come.
You say, 'Mamba's out'; I say, 'Legends Never Die'.
Therefore, Damon, focus and keep moving.
What follow are quotes from Kobe Bryant, on the topic of 'the power of the mind'.
The confidence comes from preparation.
The Mamba Mentality simply means trying to be the best version of yourself. It means everyday you are trying to become better. It is a constant quest. It is an infinite quest.
TO BE PASSIONATE
The passion came from the love of the game.
As parents, it’s our job to expose them to as many things as possible and see which one they gravitate to the most.
TO BE OBSESSIVE
You want to train as much as you can, as often as you can. Imagine you wake up at 3, you train at 4, 4 to 6, come home, breakfast. 9 to 11.
As the years go on, the separation that you have with your competitors and your peers just grows larger and larger and larger. And by year 5 or 6, doesn’t matter what kinda work they do in the summer, they are never gonna catch up. Cuz they are five year behind. So it makes sense to wake up and start your day early.
It’s just a matter of what’s important to you. For whatever reason, I didn’t feel good about myself if I wasn’t doing everything I could to be the best version of myself. If I felt l left anything on the table, it would eat away at me; I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror.
You cannot shortchange yourself; you aren’t cheating anybody but yourself.
The obsessiveness is having the attention of detail for this action that you are performing at the time you are performing it.
TO BE RELENTLESS
Whatever moments occur, good, bad or indifferent, i can use those moments to propel me forward, use those as fuel to help me to be a better player.
TO BE RESILIENT
Every kid, every person has the ability to put one foot in front of the other.
When talking about sequential injuries:
‘It happened, can’t do anything about it. Now what you are gonna do? One step at a time.’
As time goes on, sitting there, 70-, 80 years old, I’m going to be wondering if I could have come back from this injury. I don’t want to wonder; I want to find out. I want to see, man, I want to see. The critics are out there saying he’s done, he’ll never come back. Maybe you are right, maybe you are not; but let’s find out.
TO BE FEARLESS
The greatest fear we face is ourselves.
Being fearless means putting yourself out there and going for it no matter what, go for it, not for anybody else, but for yourself.
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