RIP Kobe

Hi Friends,

As you all know, Kobe Bryant has tragically passed away in a helicopter crash, along with one of his daughters and some other passengers.

Kobe spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers so he was a hometown hero where I live. I was certainly a Kobe fan on the court, and I respected his desire to win and his willingness to put in the blood, sweat and tears to get there. Off the court, he was not perfect – I believe that many elite athletes have this problem as well as they are all in on their trade and life balance can be difficult, if not impossible.

There was a Motiversity YouTube interview I heard with Kobe a while back, which I will share on this post. Most of these sorts of things go in one ear and out the other for me, but this one had a sticking point:

“Want first? Come play with me. Want Second? Go somewhere else.”

This was the confidence Kobe had in his game – he thought he was the best and challenged anyone to disprove that. Who wouldn’t want to join a bada** in his quest for domination? The particular line is right at the beginning of the following video:

I had this takeaway because that is where I want to get in my life – both professionally and personally. I want to be the best, even if I have to pay the price to win, never give up, have unbelievable courage, be a leader and not a follower, etc.

Kobe will be missed - his talent was awe inspiring to me, and his motivation is helpful for me. Can I get to that level in life? I don’t know – but let’s find out.

Thanks for coming by today,

Brian