The Power of the Mamba Mentality is bigger than just basketball
The power of the Mamba Mentality is real. If we can learn how to develop it and cultivate it, it can move us towards greatness. Kobe Bryant is the perfect example of that. Kobe has had a strong impact in my life. The values that I have learned by studying Kobe over the years, I will always carry with me. His impact was more than just basketball. Kobe was a man of character and he displayed that in all areas of his life. My favorite is his family.
Just because you never met someone in person, doesn’t mean you never got to know them. With all of the resources available to us today, you can get to know someone without ever meeting them in person. That is so powerful if you can learn how to use it correctly.
I have experienced reading about someone’s death, but none have ever affected me like Kobe passing. I felt like I got punched in the stomach.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter passed away 10 months ago now. One thing is to write about something in the moment, and another is to reflect back at how much something has affected you. I still pray for Kobe and his family. I pray for the pain that they must be carrying and to give thanks for the impact that he had in my life. With such a powerful impact that Kobe had on me, the least I can do is pray for him and his family.
How I First Found Kobe
Believe it or not, I didn’t find Kobe through the basketball space. In fact, at the time I was younger and I wasn’t into following basketball much. I had known the names of the superstars because of television, but other than hearing names being thrown around, I didn’t know who was who.
As I was growing up something drew me heavily into the self-help world. I have always been interested in reading books about progression and self improvement. Any subjects that could be used towards developing a stronger version of myself, intrigued me.
One day, I was rustling through motivational audio of different people giving inspirational speeches and I heard some guy talking. I didn’t know who it was, but I was captivated. I was captivated by his voice, and the way he told the story. The words were strong, developmental, positive, inspirational and motivational. The speaker moved me. I put it on pause and decided to go back to where I found the audio. It turned out to be Kobe Bryant the basketball super star.
Once I knew who it was, I tried to find more video or audio that had the same feel. As I searched, I found quite a few YouTube videos on Kobe. I sat there and binge watched every Kobe video that was available.
This was when I met Kobe. My spirit identified with his spirit and I began following basketball more and more. I began to learn as much as I could about Kobe all because of one thing — work ethic.
Takeaways
I followed Kobe on social media. I have read his book Mamba Mentality from cover to cover. In addition to that, I have watched pretty much every video out there on Kobe and his mindset.
I am not some die hard Kobe basketball fan that can give you all of his stats off the top of my head. Nor can I say, that I have all of his shoes in my closet in numerical order. I am not that type of Kobe fan. For me, it went far past that. I became a fan of who Kobe was as a person and what he stood for.
I can identify with Kobe in so many ways within my own personal life. So much, that he became a mentor to me without ever even knowing it. It’s incredible the impact someone can have on your life without ever meeting in person.
In following Kobe for years and studying him, I learned so many things about my life and life in general. I learned, that the important takeaway isn’t ever the prize, it’s the journey. It’s in the work that it takes in order to get to that special dream that is important. As a result, that work is never finished. There is no finish line. It’s a constant grind, day in and day out to be better than you were yesterday. That is the power of the Mamba Mentality.
“THE IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY ISN’T EVER THE PRIZE, IT’S THE JOURNEY. IT’S IN THE WORK THAT IT TAKES IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT SPECIAL DREAM THAT IS IMPORTANT”
Kobe taught me that.
Just writing about it, takes me back to those moments of listening to him and trying to absorb all of the wisdom that he was dropping into the world. It is pure gold. If you haven’t ever listened to any of Kobe’s motivational cuts on YouTube, then you should do yourself the favor of doing so.
Kobe taught me what hard work is all about. Kobe is known for his Mamba Mentality – his mindset of seeking infinite growth. He always wanted more, he wanted to learn more, and be more, and be better. It was a constant thirst for improvement. This thirst was not just basketball, but as a man.
You don’t find people like this often. It’s an obsessive desire within to become the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. He saw each day as an opportunity to put in work, to suffer, and get better.
If you really take time to listen to Kobe, you will see that the Mamba Mentality translates into everything off the court too.
The most precious thing in our life is our own story. We don’t always get to write out our story the exact way we want to. Some things just happen and we have to react. Kobe teaches us that it is always about how we choose to react to our circumstances, that makes us who we are. He always saw things as a challenge and he always rose to the occasion. One thing is to hear these things being passed around the media, but another thing is to go study Kobe. You quickly realize, Kobe Bryant left behind gems that we could all benefit from.
Family
Kobe is a married man who was raising 4 little girls with his wife of 21 years. When a man who remains loyal to his woman while going through the exposure and lifestyle that theses athletes are faced with, it deserves respect. It really symbolizes true love. It shows true focus. As a couple, they have faced their share of challenges and they have made it through everything that was presented in front of them. Vanessa and Kobe are the ultimate team.
It takes a real man with focused priorities to raise a family the right way. Kobe excelled on the court, but that was just one area of his life. He took his work ethic, his morals, values, and he implemented them into other areas of his life. A lot of men excel in one special area of their lives. However, we fail to implement those same principles that are gained through our craft, back into our families.
We have more and more parents that are separating and causing children to live in separate homes. More and more fathers are not injecting the work into their own homes and their own children. Kobe was different. He always put time into his family and it showed. The Mamba Mentality goes way past the basketball court and applies to our everyday lives.
Raising girls
I am a dad of three little girls. Kobe is a father to 4 little girls. There is so much that I related to. I can’t tell you how many people in life will put down the fact that you are raising girls. When you have a gender reveal, people give disappointing remarks. It is said with jokes, but, not really. It’s a belief that society places on us and it always starts with those closest to us. Usually stems from the fact that a boy is easier. Majority wants the easier path. Kobe’s Mamba Mentality is the complete opposite of this mindset. He yearns the hard road that is filled with hard work.
Raising girls is something that God blesses you with. Not every man is cut out for the job. When I learned that Kobe was raising girls, it gave me even more energy to connect with. I saw videos of him spending time with his family, and how he spoke about them. The way he speaks about his wife and his girls is special. As a young man raising a family, I look for any type of positive influences, and role models that I can find.
Kobe demonstrates that it is not just about basketball. He wanted his girls to know that he was someone that they could look up to. Not because he was a famous basketball legend, but because of his example. The same effort that he provided for his ball club, was the same he put forth to his family.
Marriage
Kobe has been with his wife Vanessa for 21 years. In learning about Kobe, you have no choice but to learn about his family. That is how important they are to him. I have the same love for my wife and girls, the way that they talk about one another is something that you just know it’s real. I was able to connect to Kobe on this level as well. It takes faith to cultivate a loving relationship. If you have that rare love for one another, you can recognize it in other relationships. The way Kobe and Vanessa look at each other, is the same way my wife and I look at one another.
In fact, the biggest hit for me, was that he was separated from his family. It breaks my heart because I can imagine what it would feel like, having a family of my own. Kobe’s greatest success was not so much basketball, it was his family. I started to really look up to him more because of this. Kobe leads with actions and not just words. He is a true leader.
Kobe not only put all of his hard work and mentality into his craft, he took that same work ethic and he implemented it directly into the most important aspects of his life —- his family.
Mistakes
One of the most powerful things is that Kobe was a man that understood mistakes. He knew how to handle them. Kobe made mistakes in his life, he made bad decisions, but he always faced the consequences. He was someone who recognized that it was within his mistakes, that the answers were. Kobe used his mistakes to make him better. He didn’t allow them to beat him down. Kobe would build himself back up to a stronger version of himself.
There is a lot of value within this. It is the core of the Mamba Mentality and I wonder if most people understand this part. Kobe’s Mamba Mentality was used on the court, but it was so much bigger than basketball. The power of the Mamba Mentality lies within the implementation to life. As human beings we come to terms that we are going to make mistakes. Some mistakes worse than others. As a result, it’s about how we go about fixing those mistakes that really defines your true character. Kobe was a man that was not afraid to visit his mistakes, his past, his weaknesses. He would re-visit them and use those things as fuel to make himself better.
Role Model
Kobe is a role model. If you want a positive influence to study and learn from, Kobe is the man. The Mamba Mentality is a perfect place to start. To find someone who walks in greatness and be able to follow that person from afar is a gift that we have today. We can absorb all of their great qualities and philosophies without ever interacting with them in real life. This is nothing short of extraordinary.
If you can learn to leverage people’s experiences from afar, whether that be a book, an audio recording, interviews, videos, whatever it is – we can gain tremendous wisdom. We can learn about people who have achieved the very thing we are chasing in life. We can do all of this, without ever meeting them. If there is enough content out there, and you pay close attention, you can learn so much. To the point that you can say something like Kobe was a mentor of mine and it be true.
Speaker / Story Teller
The very first thing that captivated me was Kobe’s voice and the way he told his story. He spoke with such poise, where it allowed you to see how intelligent Kobe Bryant was. With everything Kobe spoke about, he knew how to tell a story which is what made him so relatable.
Kobe was able to identify the teachings of basketball and transfer them into the real world. That is the brilliant part about Kobe’s mind. He was able to understand that there is so much value in dedicating yourself to one thing and mastering the hell out of it. Within that journey, there was a world of valuable golden nuggets. Kobe took all of the golden nuggets that he picked up through his journey with basketball and applied them to all areas of his life. After, he took it one more step and shared it with the world. THAT is what I love most.
Kobe Bryant was about action. He saw the obstacle and he immediately went into figuring out how to get around it. He was a true warrior. A warrior is not just someone in combat. In the civilian world, a warrior is someone who shows up and gives it their all one more time, one more day. A warrior is someone who doesn’t give up. Kobe was a warrior. The Mamba Mentality is a warriors mentality.
Kobe Bryant meant so much to me, that I want to pass on what I learned from him through my own journey as a growing young man. Kobe is a man that every family would be blessed to have. He is a leader, he is a coach, is a player, he is a teammate, he is a husband, he is a father, he is a role model, he is an icon, he is a legend. It is no wonder why God chose him to raise 4 girls.
It is because of people like Kobe Bryant that we are able to move forward towards progression. People like Kobe Bryant, move the world forward. The power and impact one man had on me and millions of others, is something you rarely come across in life.
My most sincere condolences goes out to his wife, to his daughters and all of those who have had to live this nightmare. Respect to all of those who came to their rescue with hearts and spirits when the Bryant family needed it most. I have a wife and three daughters, if something ever happened to me, I would want for people to come to my family’s rescue with their love and spirits when they needed it most.
Kobe, you changed my life man. I take a piece of you with me and I carry it daily. I am sure there are millions of people who feel the same and can say the same. Your Mamba Mentality is a part of who I am now. Everyday is an opportunity to become the best version of myself. I can’t imagine what more of an amazing person you would have become by the time you were 80. It would have been unreal. I give thanks to God that world is able to look you up and watch video of you whenever we need your words and inspiration.
Your character was so genuine, that watching countless videos of you and listening to you over and over, I was able to meet you in spirit. Thank you for all that you did and left behind in this world. I speak on behalf of the millions across the world, that speak of you to this day and feel the same pain that I feel losing a human being like you. I grind everyday spiritually to become a better man because of your example.
Mamba Mentality for life!
