Got a very good buddy of mine that has been a diehard Kobe fan since he first came into the league…
The irony is that this dude, who we will call “The Bullet,” is also one of the few people in this world that is close to Michael Jordan… Soon after the news of Kobe’s tragic accident, The Bullet sent me a YouTube video titled “The Mindset Of A Winner,” which is a very recent sit down in-depth interview with KB…
When the host asked Kobe how he got so mentally and emotionally strong without being phased by naysayers and critics, this was his response.:
“You got to look at the reality of the situation… You got to get over yourself… It’s not about you man… You are worried about how people are going to perceive you and you are embarrassed because you shot 5 air balls… You are not that important… GET OVER YOURSELF…. And then after that, you gotta ask yourself, why did those airballs happen? GOT IT…”
Kobe then proceeded to talk about how he played 35 games spread out over a high school season and then went directly to the NBA where he played an 82 game schedule with a ton of back to back games… He then went and studied the tape of the multiple air balls that were happening late in games and figured out each shot was right on line but just short… The problem was evident, he didn’t have the strength in his legs. The solution was simple, he needed to build strength in his lower body…
Fucking incredible.
Without the host asking for any specific moment in which he was criticized or ridiculed, Kobe immediately addressed a very specific time in which he struggled physically and mentally… Kobe revealed that it was through these struggles that he was able to develop a very liberating perspective about self-importance, while also figuring out exactly what he needed to do to address the issue and get better.
Professional athletes are so often driven by ego and can be very hard-headed when it comes to making adjustments. When critiqued, a common response is either denial of any shortcomings or a dire urge to fight back…
As huge of a superstar that Kobe Bryant was, even he was able to realize that no matter who you are, don’t ever think you are so big that the entire world gives two fucks about you and your problems… We all have our own lives and our own issues that we need to address. So instead of preoccupying ourselves with the superficial opinions of irrelevant outsiders, let’s spend that time and energy figuring out what we have to do to get better because at the end of the day, our moment by moment improvement is the absolute only thing that matters…
Bottom line is exactly what Kobe so brilliantly laid out for all of us…
GET OVER YOURSELF.
-EB