Here are four principles that we can learn from Kobe Bryant on the basketball court and off the basketball court that we can apply in our lives and be the best versions of ourselves and create an extraordinary life.
- Outwork everyone: Kobe knew that for him to be the best version of himself and the best basketball player, he need to outwork everyone. He knew his teammates and his competition’s training regimen. Kobe knew that getting up at 4am everyday to train is what he needed to do to achieve his goals to win championships. If he found out that someone else was getting up at 4am, he would wake up at 2am to get to work.
- Failure and losing is a gift: Most fear failure and losing. Kobe believes that losing creates opportunities. It creates opportunities for growth and getting to the next level. Kobe believed though we needed to become true with ourselves and face the failures. That means watching film of games that he lost against a specific team to see where him and his team went wrong, the mistakes, and what he can improve upon for next time.
- Be a long term thinker: Kobe was very smart at a very young age that greatness is going to take time and patience. He knew that he had to focus on one thing at a time to master before going to the next phase. At 10 years old, he was not nearly as good as anyone in his age group. He got zero points in a game. Thus, he decided that he was going to work on his game. At first, he worked on his outside shot. He was able to hit open jump shots, but needed to learn to hit one being heavily guarded and he did that as well. And then he worked on his defense, rebounding, passing, until he mastered all the fundamentals. By the time, he was in High School, he was an All American who went right into the NBA.
- Find your passion and do what you love: Kobe enjoyed the work and process. Kobe stated if he had to remind himself why he needed to wake up early and work hard, then he needed to find a new profession.