In this episode, we’ll learn how Kobe and his Mamba mentality can help us in figuring out our passions and dreams.

It’s my birthday today, and while our birthdays should, maybe could be a fun time, it can bring up many different emotions. For me personally, I get deep feelings of survivor’s guilt. It can be so challenging to navigate this world, and yet so far, for another year I have made it. Don’t get me wrong, the feelings are mixed with great joy and gratitude. 

The fact that I have yet another year, or at least day to keep making things and sharing them. This is why I am so big on the idea of leaving a legacy. 

One legacy that helps me a lot is that of Kobe Bryant and his Mamba mentality. Even though life was cut short, he would say that the way we make things last forever is to keep paying things forward to the next generation. Kobe was also working on edutainment and finding a way to teach children and youth through his podcasting plans. 

Mamba Mentality, The Legacy Kobe Leaves Us With

Spreading his message about figuring out what your dream is and how to work toward it is the least I can do. So what is the mamba mentality? Kobe defined it as a mindset of constant, and infinite feedback. A loop of work, test, feedback, practice, repeat. Over and over again while you work on your craft.

“The mamba mentality simply means trying to be the best version of yourself. It means everyday trying to become better and it’s a constant quest, it’s an infinite quest. ”

KOBE

Everybody has their own canvas, its each of our jobs to figure out what that canvas is. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be beautiful. And it will be yours. If you pursue that, then you are living with a mamba mentality. But I think one of the most important things is that he explains that it only works if it is your craft, or as he dubbed it, your box.

“Dance beautifully in the box you are comfortable dancing in. Everybody’s box is different. My box was to be an extremely ambitious basketball player. Your box is different than mine. Every person has a different box. But it doesn’t mean that yours is any less beautiful than mine. Everybody has their own. It’s your job to try and perfect it and make it as beautiful a canvas as you can. If you do that, then you have lived a successful life of mamba mentality.”

KOBE

How To Find Your OWN Passion

For Kobe, that box was basketball. But, what is the box that you want to accomplish in? It starts with figuring out what that thing is. The thing that you get really excited to work on when you wake up. Kobe gives some great advice here about how to let that develop as a kid, but growth mindset, and mind science show us that this exists no matter our age.

“Whether it’s writing, or painting, or drawing, if they have that passion, you don’t have to tell them. They’ll go off and do it because it’s fun. They’d rather do that than anything else. So, expose them to as many things as possible and see what they gravitate to the most.” 

KOBE

Finding that passion and goal to dedicate your time to will lead to looking at a big mountain. The key is to break that mountain, that climb into smaller sections, and finally single steps. What is the next step? You should also be aware of the fundamentals, in sport, it comes down to angles, posture, and all of the details. 

If we can have people understand the feedback they receive on a deep level then they will be primed for success in anything they are trying to learn. And possibly the most important thing to leave you with today is to remember to protect your dreams.

How To Dream Big And Pure

Once you have the goal, and you have the system, it’s not about anything more than protecting your dreams. Your dreams should be pure, like Kobe shares here.

“I just dream. Dreams should be pure. A lot of times we are born into this world, we actually end up going backwards. It seems like the more we mature, the more responsible our dreams become and the more governors we put on our dreams, on ourselves and our ability to imagine. It’s always a fight to make sure your dreams always stay pure. It’s not a matter of pushing beyond your limitations, or expectations. It’s a matter of protecting your dreams, protecting your imagination, that’s the key and when you do that, the world is limitless.”

KOBE

It’s as simple as asking what do you currently love doing?

Kobe built a personal brand and a basketball career, but he understood that beginnings always find themselves in ends. And so he moved on to build a creative company, similar to what we’re doing at JKL, called “Granity Studios” to pay everything forward to the next generation through content that teaches life lessons in an entertaining way, through storytelling and podcasting. I’m sure he had many more dreams about what they could accomplish when it comes to edutainment.

These career or life pivots can happen to us at any moment as long as you are open to choosing ourselves based on what gets us excited, picking that dream, crafting the steps, and taking a step-by-step approach to achieving that goal. You also have to plan for failure and obstacles. Think about what could get in the way and how are you going to have ways of overcoming those obstacles as you take steps up that mountain.

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