The Mindset of a Winner
Kobe Bean Bryant
It’s now been 1 year since the passing of Kobe. We remember him not only for his generation basketball talent, but for who he was as a father, husband, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. Kobe was relentless, curious, and infinitely complicated. We remember him for his greatness and drive on and off the court. Someone who will never be forgotten.
“Our challenge as people is to figure out how our story can impact others and motivate them in a way to create their own greatness.”
Kobe Bryant —The Mindset of a Winner
1. Be fearless
Kobe was drafted into the league straight out of high school as a young, skinny 17-year-old boy. He’d look up to the giants of the league at the time and see them do unbelievable things ~ greats like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. He’d say, “Can I get to that level? . . . I don’t know but let’s find out.”
2. Be curious
Everything Kobe did was motivated by his drive to become a better basketball player. He said, “When you have that point of view, the world becomes your library to help you become better at your craft.” Even after basketball, Kobe became an Oscar award winning filmmaker. “I don’t know how to do that” was not an excuse. Instead, be curious. Through that curiosity, you’ll reach a level that you didn’t think was possible.
3. Outwork your competition
Kobe didn’t have all the intangibles. He wasn’t the fastest, biggest, or most athletic. He didn’t care. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. He outworked everyone and found his edge in that way. He chose to never take a break. To never take a vacation. He did this because he didn’t want to have to say, “I wish I would have done more.”
4. Be mentally tough
When 💩 hits the fan, Kobe talked about zooming out of the situation. It’s not about you. Get over yourself. Don’t worry about how people may perceive you. Instead of getting embarrassed that he shot 5 air balls, Kobe would look at WHY he shot those air balls, not the airballs themself. He’d go right to the issue, find out why it happened, and then he’d improve on that weakness so that it’d never happen again.
5. Seek mentorship from successful people
Kobe went to NBA greats like Larry Bird, Magic, MJ, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Russell, and Jerry West. He’d ask them about their experiences and what that process was like. He began to understand their approach. The ins and outs through the lens of people who did it before.
6. Take ownership
In a game late in his basketball career, Kobe tore his achilles. Many people thought it’d be the end. He got back up, hit two free throws, walked off the court, and got season-ending surgery a day after. He told himself “this is just another obstacle. This obstacle cannot define me. It’s not going to be responsible for me stepping away from the game that I love. I’m going to step away on my own terms.”
7. Get the best out of the people around you
Kobe shared a story of his team in the middle of playing a back to back. His teammates wanted to go out even though they played the next night. Kobe drank with them, but woke up banging on their doors at 5 am the next morning to go workout. He said, “I hung out with you, now you hang out with me.” His teammates were dead tired when game time came. Kobe told them, “If you’re going to do that, then do that. But don’t let that compromise what we’re here to do. This is why you’re here in the first place.” Lesson learned.
8. Learn from losing
Losing sucks for most people. Kobe described losing as exciting. He said, “losing is great because it means you have different ways to get better.” Losing exposes your weaknesses and things you need to shore up. It sucks to lose, but there are answers there. You’ve just got to face it.
A revered sports icon who would do anything for his family. We can only imagine the multitude of things he would have accomplished.
The mamba mentality can be applied to almost anything in life. Kobe taught not just the NBA, but the whole world what it means to push yourself beyond your own bounds. To believe in yourself, chase your dreams, and never give up.
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