• Kobe Bryant celebrating victory
(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

On 26th January 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash in California.

It was a tragic accident that claimed the lives of 9 people, which included the 41-year old retired basketball legend and his 13-year old daughter Gianna.

As the world mourns their passing, many paid tribute to Kobe’s unparalleled legacy.

Kobe Bryant – famously named ‘The Black Mamba’ – is one of the all-time greats in the NBA. During his prime, Kobe was arguably one of the best scorers in basketball history.

Some of his phenomenal feats include scoring a staggering 81 points during a single game, four consecutive 50-point games, winning two Olympic gold medals for Team USA and securing victories for his team – the Los Angeles Lakers – despite having suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

Kobe also has won 5 championships, 15 All-Star Game appearances, 4 All-Star MVP Awards, 2 NBA Finals MVP Awards and a regular season MVP award under his belt.

As the world shed light on Kobe’s achievements, I took this chance to learn more about the late legend’s mindset, ’The Mamba Mentality’, that made him the quintessential peak performer who always rose up to the occasion, even under immense pressure.

Like many star athletes, Kobe started playing when he was young.

But what was fascinating was despite coming from a family where basketball ran in their blood, Kobe wasn’t a gifted athlete.

In fact, his true greatness lies in his long-term mindset for continuous improvement, something which he embedded in himself during his pre-teen years.

How Kobe Developed A Long-Term Mindset

When Kobe was 11, his father, who was a former pro basketball player, took him to the Sonny Hill Basketball League in Philadelphia.

It was a league where many legends and all-time greats, including Kobe’s father and uncle, started in.

But when Kobe played his first season in the league, he didn’t score a single point all season.

Not even one.

He felt extremely demoralized. It was painfully clear to him that all the other kids were much taller, faster and more athletic than he was.

He comes home feeling extremely upset and disappointed with himself, and believed he wasn’t going to make the cut.

Fortunately for him, his father consoled him and with a hug, told him the exact words he needed to hear.

He said: “whether you score zero or score sixty, I’m going to love you no matter what.”

And just like that, Kobe’s confidence was reignited.

Not the confidence to win, but the confidence to fail.

At 11, Kobe knew that if he was going to eventually outperform his competition, he wouldn’t be able to do it in a week.

He needed to give himself time to learn, train and grow.

He developed this long-term mindset where he would progressively improve himself, one step at a time.

Focusing On One Skill At A Time

So he sat down and drew up a ‘menu’ of all the skills he needed to work on to level up his game.

If he were to just practice everything like everyone else, he knew he wouldn’t be able to match up.

So he chose to focus on one skill at a time.

If it was shooting, he focused on just shooting.

If it was dribbling, he focused on just dribbling.

Kobe would practice one isolated skill for months at a time and developed a patience that was rare for most kids his age.

At 12, he came back to the league the next summer and got a little bit better.

At 13, he came back again and got a little bit better.

At 14, he came back again… and absolutely dominated his competition.

By the end of 2 years, Kobe was outperforming all the other kids… because he had mastered the fundamentals.

While all the other kids relied on their natural athleticism, Kobe was beating them on the court with superior skill and technique.

The founder of the Sonny Hill League, Hall-of-Famer Sonny Hill himself, recalled how the young Kobe would wake up at 5.a.m to train and how obsessed he was with becoming the best.

Eventually he did, becoming the best player in the state at only 14 years old.

It was only after those pivotal years that Kobe would physically grow into his ‘natural athleticism’.

His body had no choice but to follow the champion’s blueprint his mind had designed.

Reflecting on the exponential growth he experienced in those 2 years, Kobe mentions that it boils down to nothing but simple math.

He practised 2-3 hours daily while the majority of kids would practise 1-2 hours, twice a week.

Kobe’s progress wouldn’t surprise you if you knew how much more time he spent on the court than his peers.

The lesson here is: if you want to become truly great at something, then you have to be willing to think long term.

Yes, I acknowledge that perhaps you may not have the support of a compassionate father figure like Kobe’s father who encouraged him at a turning point in his life.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t apply the same lesson he learnt from that experience.

Don’t wait for that big life-changing failure or that compassionate mentor figure to walk into your life before you say you’re ‘ready’ to think long term.

The best time to start is now. Make the decision now.

Peak performers don’t achieve peak performance by chance. They achieve it through a deliberate investment of years, even decades, of time and effort. 

Mastery requires consistency of output over a long period.

Have the patience to devote yourself to improving one skill at a time and work progressively until you become not just excellent but well-rounded in your craft.

Summary

If you want to become truly great at something, then you have to be willing to think long term.

Have the patience to focus on improving one skill at a time.

Invest daily, consistent effort until you become not just excellent but well-rounded in your craft.

(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

On 26th January 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash in California.

It was a tragic accident that claimed the lives of 9 people, which included the 41-year old retired basketball legend and his 13-year old daughter Gianna.

As the world mourns their passing, many paid tribute to Kobe’s unparalleled legacy.

Kobe Bryant – famously named ‘The Black Mamba’ – is one of the all-time greats in the NBA. During his prime, Kobe was arguably one of the best scorers in basketball history.

Some of his phenomenal feats include scoring a staggering 81 points during a single game, four consecutive 50-point games, winning two Olympic gold medals for Team USA and securing victories for his team – the Los Angeles Lakers – despite having suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

Kobe also has won 5 championships, 15 All-Star Game appearances, 4 All-Star MVP Awards, 2 NBA Finals MVP Awards and a regular season MVP award under his belt.

As the world shed light on Kobe’s achievements, I took this chance to learn more about the late legend’s mindset, ’The Mamba Mentality’, that made him the quintessential peak performer who always rose up to the occasion, even under immense pressure.

Like many star athletes, Kobe started playing when he was young.

But what was fascinating was despite coming from a family where basketball ran in their blood, Kobe wasn’t a gifted athlete.

In fact, his true greatness lies in his long-term mindset for continuous improvement, something which he embedded in himself during his pre-teen years.

How Kobe Developed A Long-Term Mindset

When Kobe was 11, his father, who was a former pro basketball player, took him to the Sonny Hill Basketball League in Philadelphia.

It was a league where many legends and all-time greats, including Kobe’s father and uncle, started in.

But when Kobe played his first season in the league, he didn’t score a single point all season.

Not even one.

He felt extremely demoralized. It was painfully clear to him that all the other kids were much taller, faster and more athletic than he was.

He comes home feeling extremely upset and disappointed with himself, and believed he wasn’t going to make the cut.

Fortunately for him, his father consoled him and with a hug, told him the exact words he needed to hear.

He said: “whether you score zero or score sixty, I’m going to love you no matter what.”

And just like that, Kobe’s confidence was reignited.

Not the confidence to win, but the confidence to fail.

At 11, Kobe knew that if he was going to eventually outperform his competition, he wouldn’t be able to do it in a week.

He needed to give himself time to learn, train and grow.

He developed this long-term mindset where he would progressively improve himself, one step at a time.

Focusing On One Skill At A Time

So he sat down and drew up a ‘menu’ of all the skills he needed to work on to level up his game.

If he were to just practice everything like everyone else, he knew he wouldn’t be able to match up.

So he chose to focus on one skill at a time.

If it was shooting, he focused on just shooting.

If it was dribbling, he focused on just dribbling.

Kobe would practice one isolated skill for months at a time and developed a patience that was rare for most kids his age.

At 12, he came back to the league the next summer and got a little bit better.

At 13, he came back again and got a little bit better.

At 14, he came back again… and absolutely dominated his competition.

By the end of 2 years, Kobe was outperforming all the other kids… because he had mastered the fundamentals.

While all the other kids relied on their natural athleticism, Kobe was beating them on the court with superior skill and technique.

The founder of the Sonny Hill League, Hall-of-Famer Sonny Hill himself, recalled how the young Kobe would wake up at 5.a.m to train and how obsessed he was with becoming the best.

Eventually he did, becoming the best player in the state at only 14 years old.

It was only after those pivotal years that Kobe would physically grow into his ‘natural athleticism’.

His body had no choice but to follow the champion’s blueprint his mind had designed.

Reflecting on the exponential growth he experienced in those 2 years, Kobe mentions that it boils down to nothing but simple math.

He practised 2-3 hours daily while the majority of kids would practise 1-2 hours, twice a week.

Kobe’s progress wouldn’t surprise you if you knew how much more time he spent on the court than his peers.

The lesson here is: if you want to become truly great at something, then you have to be willing to think long term.

Yes, I acknowledge that perhaps you may not have the support of a compassionate father figure like Kobe’s father who encouraged him at a turning point in his life.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t apply the same lesson he learnt from that experience.

Don’t wait for that big life-changing failure or that compassionate mentor figure to walk into your life before you say you’re ‘ready’ to think long term.

The best time to start is now. Make the decision now.

Peak performers don’t achieve peak performance by chance. They achieve it through a deliberate investment of years, even decades, of time and effort. 

Mastery requires consistency of output over a long period.

Have the patience to devote yourself to improving one skill at a time and work progressively until you become not just excellent but well-rounded in your craft.

Summary

If you want to become truly great at something, then you have to be willing to think long term.

Have the patience to focus on improving one skill at a time.

Invest daily, consistent effort until you become not just excellent but well-rounded in your craft.