Kobe Bryant Taught Me You Don’t Need Talent to Be the Greatest

Stop giving up on your dreams and follow Kobe’s rules to become the best.

When I was seven years old, I dreamt of becoming an actress. My favorite movie was the Wizard of Oz, and I would have given my left arm to be the real Dorothy — although I’m not sure if I was more fascinated with Dorothy Gale of Kansas or Judy Garland of Hollywood.

I spent hours spinning and twirling and parading through the house gallantly singing, “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” while towing my mechanical gray Toto on a leash.

Years later, I abandoned my dream of becoming an actress when I went out for the school play and bombed.

I decided I lacked raw natural talent — so I gave up.

Then I discovered my love for writing. I aspired to be the next Emily Dickinson or Sylvia Plath, but that didn’t seem realistic — -so naturally, I quit again.

Are you noticing a pattern here?

Often I wonder where the girl who dreamt larger than life dreams, could’ve ended up if she had followed her heart and not her fears.

*Sigh*

I’m not sure — but it could have been “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” instead of Tinytown, USA.

Is it possible to be the best, even without talent?

Yes. But I didn’t always believe it was — until seven months ago when I heard Kobe Bryant talk about his first major failure.

Kobe was born in Philadelphia in 1978. When Kobe was around the age of six, he and his family relocated to Italy after his father, Joe Bryant, retired from the NBA. While in Italy, Kobe worked to become an exceptional soccer player, yet his real desire was to be an NBA superstar.

When Bryant was around the age of eleven, he moved back to Philly and finally had his opportunity to shoot hoops with kids his age since basketball wasn’t popular in the country. With the help of his father, Kobe joined a well-known Philadelphia summer basketball league called Sunny Hill. But, by the close of summer, Kobe walked away with his head held down and tears lining his face— he was mauled by failure because he was unable to make a single shot the entire summer.

During the interview, the question was raised, why didn’t he score? Kobe chuckled and said,

“Because I was terrible.”

Kobe…terrible? …What? Is that even a possibility?

It’s been painful for me and my family to come to terms with his death. For as long as I can recall, I’ve followed Kobe Bryant. My son has the same name. But I always just thought Kobe was gifted the second the ball hit his hands. His father was his first coach at the age of three, but Kobe wasn’t instantaneously gifted, he knew he needed to practice insanely hard if he wanted to be the best at his craft.

After learning about Kobe’s first failure, I realized that even if something didn’t come naturally to me, I could still pursue what I loved — and I loved to write. Yet, I kept repeating the same patterns. My negative self-talk crushed my confidence, and I gave up time and time again. I believed my writing was not, nor ever would be up to par.

Facing possible rejection made me petrified of trying. I decided, because of Kobe, I would give writing another chance. I mean, what if Kobe Bryant had walked away? After all, he had a legitimate excuse— just not a good enough one for him.

I concluded, if Kobe could go from being terrible to one of the best, then maybe I could copy his formula for success. After countless hours of watching Kobe’s interviews, examining his books, I started to apply his advice, and the difference in my writing and my life was drastic.

Here are the top six lessons from Kobe Bryant that can help you become the greatest.

1. One Step At A Time

“One step at a time,” Bryant said. “You take it day by day. Today was a good day. Come back tomorrow and chip away at it again. It’s an everyday process.” — Kobe Bryant

If Kobe was going to play basketball, then he had to assemble a strategy — and fast. Talent scouts start to notice prospective college players in middle school. Kyrie Irving, a fellow NBA basketball player, was offered a college scholarship at age eleven for basketball; the same age Kobe couldn’t even make a single shot. Yet, due to Kobe’s philosophy of patience and daily discipline, his work paid off. In less than two years, Kobe rose to become the top basketball player in the state of Pennsylvania.

That’s insane.

It doesn’t matter what age you are when you decide to follow your dreams, you may have to fine-tune what your final goal is — but you can still go after it with small daily steps. Kobe worked tirelessly on each fundamental, and the moment he mastered one, he’d move onto the next.

I decided to take Kobe’s approach and focus on one thing at a time — one element that would elevate my mind and another to enhance my writing. In the mornings, I meditated or read one self-improvement topic, and then I wrote between 500 and 1,000 words each day. Slowly my writing began to improve.

It’s understandable to become frustrated when you don’t obtain instant results. I want to be successful right now, but it doesn’t work that way. There’s no button I can push to become a great writer in a flash. You need to work at it daily, and eventually, you’ll become better. Instead of focusing on short-term results, focus on the long-term, which can be achieved one step at a time.

2. Diabolical Obsession

“If you really want to be great at something you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it.” — Kobe Bryant

Kobe was known as one of the most obsessive athletes in the world. His obsession with becoming the best player in the NBA was apparent in his words and deeds. At the dawn of his career, he was perceived by his teammates as arrogant, distant, and selfish. He was easily annoyed when other players cracked jokes or went out partying the night before practice. Kobe was obsessed with being the best and winning championships. It was all business — nothing more, nothing less.

Bryant only had a couple of close friends, and outside his family, his social life was barren. You may think his lifestyle was too extreme, but whatever doesn’t serve your dreams — you need to let go. Ask yourself the question, how bad do you want it?

While being obsessed with your passion isn’t an action you can force yourselves to attain. It’s about integrating your dreams, love, and beliefs all together to create one purpose. I am obsessed with becoming a better writer, but in the beginning, my motivation was inconsistent. I recognized that obsession is like any relationship — it needs to be watered and fed each day.

When I lose motivation, I power through it with willpower. Trust me; not every athlete, musician, writer feels passionate every single day. The more I write, the more I become obsessed with writing.

3. Laser Vision

“It’s more a monitoring aspect with more — rather than ‘I got to make this shot’ — just shoot,” he said. “You’ve trained your nervous system to do it, so now your conscious thinking needs to be quiet and let your body do what it does” — Kobe Bryant

Kobe always spoke about how visualization helped transcend his game. Since he was thirteen, he would lie in bed, close his eyes and vividly imagine scoring over a hundred points in a game every night before drifting off to sleep.

Then In 2006, Kobe scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, which was an insane accomplishment. During an interview, a reporter wanted to know how that moment felt to Kobe. He explained since he has visualized scoring over a hundred points since a child, he was already conscious of what that moment was going to like to him.

Since I knew this technique was vital to Kobe’s success, I started to embrace it into my nightly routine. I envisioned myself at the height of my writing career living in a stunning, castle-like mansion, overlooking the breathtaking hilltops, with a massive in-ground pool and a small, tranquil waterfall off to the side. In the background, rows, and rows of peach trees, perfectly lined together, forming around a single dirt road that leads to a picturesque horse farm. I then imagined myself sitting on a white bench in my floral garden writing stories besides a shimmering oval-shaped pond, with turquoise butterflies dancing above, and the warm summer breeze enveloping itself around me.

Your vision should be as specific as possible, and the more far-fetched your vision seems, the better. I integrated the five senses into this practice, and I noticed results immediately. After a while, my belief system shifted, and I finally felt as though I could be an exceptional writer.

4. Superior Mindset

“The mindset isn’t about seeking a result — it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life. I do think that it’s important, in all endeavors, to have that.” mentality.” Kobe Bryant

Kobe’s determination was like a freight train barreling down the tracks at three hundred miles per hour. Nobody was stopping him. He created an on-court persona called “The Mamba” after the deadly black snake. Possessing a “Mamba Mentality,” Kobe explained is about altering your mindset to become a better version of yourself — day in and day out.

He was fearless because he knew failure was only an illusion, a figment of your imagination. He didn’t believe in failure because you could always try to conquer it again tomorrow. It wasn’t the final result.

You must develop a belief system that is going to transform you into the best. You can’t achieve a specific goal when you lack faith in yourself. Before I began my writing journey, I listened to motivational speakers discuss how to cultivate a winning mindset. If I didn’t spend the time preparing my mind, then I would have quit when I was discouraged, fearful, exhausted, or anxious.

Had I known this when I was a young aspiring Dorothy, maybe I could have been the next Jennifer Lawrence — who knows? When you face a temporary defeat, allow it to fuel your determination to get better. I had to stop viewing failure as a tragic ending to a movie; because, like Kobe points out, you always have another shot tomorrow.

5. Strategic Hard Work

“One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success.” — - Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s had a maniacal work ethic. He worked harder than any other player in the game. He woke up every day at 4 am. No matter what. He played with a fever, the flu, severe pain, and no sleep. The man didn’t live by excuses.

While Kobe Bryant’s name is synonymous with hard work, it wasn’t just about how hard he worked — but what he worked hard at. Kobe tailored his own strategies to improve his game. He knew well what his weaknesses were and focused on improving them every day. Kobe wouldn’t leave the gym until he made 800 shots, he practiced with no ball, he played against other teammates without a ball and even played against his own shadow.

When I began writing, I didn’t have a clue about how to become a promising writer. I emailed the only writer I knew at the time who lived in China as an editor. Her advice was straightforward, read, and write every single day. So I did. Then I studied other top writer’s work.

There are two laws I have discovered about achieving success:

• You must fail — a lot.
• You must consistently work hard for a very long time.

I wish there were an easier route, but there isn’t. You need to face your challenges head-on, so when you finally arrive at your destination, it will only severe to reinforce your success.

6. Be Curious

“I want to learn. I’m so curious to learn — still to this day. Just a constant learner. I’m not afraid to ask questions about things that I don’t know. I’m not afraid to admit what I don’t know.”— Kobe Bryant

When Kobe finally made it to the NBA, he realized that other players didn’t work as hard anymore because they felt the NBA was the pinnacle of their success. But the NBA wasn’t a means to an end for Kobe — it was his start to becoming the greatest of all time.

Kobe became a human sponge that soaked up knowledge. He was always wondering ”why” something was a particular way. This character trait separated him from other basketball players. Bryant had a habit of calling other legends before him and asking various questions. Sometimes at 3 am.

One of my fondest memories of Kobe was during a game he played against Michael Jordan. Kobe went up to Jordan, bent down next to him mimicking his body language, and while out of breath asked Michael how to perform his jump shot. It’s a beautiful moment between the two players. Many teammates were afraid even to talk to Michael, let alone ask questions. But if Kobe didn’t know — he asked. There was no pride in him not knowing something.

It doesn’t matter how accomplished you become because there is always a teacher waiting in the wing — but to be able to learn, you need to be a constant student.

I’m a novice writer, so it’s easy for me to admit I don’t know everything. But the farther up the ladder you evolve, the more pride consumes you and warns not to appear inadequate. Most people want to be looked up to and admired, so they will avoid asking a basic question out of fear of being portrayed as inferior.

Truthfully, we can learn from anyone, inexperienced or experienced. I learn from my children all the time — they are my best teachers. As you climb the ladder of success, don’t allow pride to prevail. Humility is a much sexier trait.

By the time Kobe Bryant retired, he had 33,643 career points. He ranked third on the NBA All-Time Points Leaders list, a spot right above Michael Jordan — until LeBron James rose to Kobe’s third-place mark this year. Not bad for a kid who couldn’t make a single shot at eleven.

After retirement, Kobe went on to storytelling and won an Oscar for his short film titled, “Dear Basketball,” In the film, Kobe addressed a goodbye letter to the sport of basketball. In the letter, he expressed his love, admiration, and gratitude, for the game and what it taught him and gave to him throughout his lifetime. Here are the last few lines of the letter:

And we both know,

no matter what I do next

I’ll always be that kid

With the rolled up socks

Garbage can in the corner

:05 seconds on the clock

Ball in my hands.

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

(Buzzard)

Love always,

Kobe

It’s a beautiful reminder of the innocence that stood behind our dreams before we ever had the slightest indication about failure, work ethic, skill, mindset, — before all that, we were just kids with a brilliant imagination. In many ways — we still should be.

Rest In Peace Kobe, Gianna, John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter Alyssa; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; Christina Mauser; Ara Zobayan— all who believed they too could be the absolute best.