Obviously, with the recent passing of Kobe, all sorts of KB material has surfaced. I knew I liked the dude and fully understood his commitment to excellence and desire to be great…
That said, I don’t think any of us really get to know somebody until we actually have an opportunity to spend time with that person in some sort of personal setting… Usually, this is not possible with massive public figures, but if we want to attempt to get to know & understand somebody, we can take the time to dig DEEP and digest massive amounts of content in various forms and settings…
I never had the chance to meet Kobe, but I do know several people who did and their depiction of who he was is very consistent with my preconceived outside perspective.
Kobe Bryant was an intellectual SAVAGE with an unmatched work ethic and ultimate desire to be the absolute best at whatever endeavor he pursued… Yet, like most of us as we age, he discovered wisdom in his later years that made him realize what is fleeting and outside of our control, as well as what is within our control and sustainable in our lives.
Kobe won 5 NBA championships but realized that those championships have the potential to come and go every single season, and oftentimes, rely way too much on many different uncontrollable factors…
“Championships come and go but what stays is how do you use your passion and use that to inspire somebody else to create their passion then how can they pass that on to the next person, that is true success.”
What I believe Kobe realized was that no matter if we win or lose, PASSION ALWAYS PLAYS…
If we are able to use our passion to motivate somebody else to find their passion and then that person pays it forward to the next person and so on, this instantly becomes an eternal cycle of sustainable, passionate lives that bring us as close to immortality as we could ever hope for…
Unfortunately, this dude was taken from us way too soon, but something tells me his spirit is ALIVE and will continue to INSPIRE generations to come because whether or not Kobe is still physically here, his PASSION won’t ever stop playing…
Kobe speaking on the effect of passion instantly made me think about another dude’s emphatic take on passion… Ironically and unfortunately, this quote comes from another guy that this world lost way too soon…
“Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, fuels our love and carries our friendships, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limits… A passion for life is contagious and uplifting. Passion cuts both ways… Those that make you feel on top of the world are equally able to turn it upside down… In my life, I want to create passion in my own life and with those, I care for. I want to feel, experience and live every emotion. I will suffer through the bad for the heights of the good.” – Pat Tillman
-EB