Work Hard, Stay Focused, Surround Yourself with Talent, Let the Mamba Rule
I’m a lazy guy, and I don’t work out much or play sports. I’m definitely not interested in basketball, but I love to read about athletes, and I love to listen to them, watch them and take notes. These individuals have reached the peak of human performance and are still here to tell us all how it’s done.
One such athlete I loved to listen to was Kobe Bryant. I loved watching his YouTube videos and was devasted by his sudden death as everyone else.
This month, I got a chance to read his book, The Mamba Mentality. It was an amazing read. The book was filled with Basketball references. Kobe spoke about peers and mentors, most of the people I didn’t know. Most of the references I couldn’t understand. I could understand one thing, it was crystal clear, and that was Kobe’s focus and hard work. He wasn’t such a great basketball player for nothing; he worked harder than anyone else. He didn’t need anyone to challenge him or his limits because he challenged himself more than anyone.
You have to give everything to the game, to your team. That’s what it takes to win. That’s what it takes to be great.
This quote from the book makes it clear. You have to give everything to the game. You can’t become great just by talking or putting in some effort. If you want to achieve greatness, you have to be willing to give it your everything, and you have to be the first one in, the last one out. You have to be ready to sacrifice many things to achieve greatness. Greatness comes at a great cost, and you must be willing to pay that cost.
Want to learn more about how and why Kobe Bryant was one of the great basketball players? Read his book and be amazed by what a machine this man was.