
In the wake of Kobe's tragic death, along with his daughter, other families and friends, I have been amazed of the stories all over the internet that give us all a closer look into the kind of man Kobe actually was. The impact he made off the court will far outlive the accolades he received on the court. Kobe used his platform as a basketball player to personally impact thousands of lives. I just read an article about how he would make surprise visits to children, families, and hospitals when he would be in their town to play. His one and only rule....no press.
In my mind, Kobe lived 2 lives. There was the young Kobe who had a speckled past and, perhaps, enjoyed the fame and fortune a little too much. How could you blame him? He was a teenager launched into stardom. It's hard to forget the incident from 2003 where he messed up big time, but his story didn't end there. He grew up.
If you've followed Kobe over the last 20 years you've watched him grow from a young kid to a man who valued family, giving of his time and money, mentoring, etc., above all else. I even watched a video last night with Novak Djokovic, and he was telling the world how Kobe has mentored him and was a close friend. A tennis player?! There was a different look in Kobe's eye as he grew older and eventually retired from the NBA. He was the happiest when we has investing in the things that mattered most.
Kobe's story is much like our own story. At different times and in different ways all of us face growing pains as we grow from being young kids to mature adults. His story is our story. The Bible says, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." Don’t be afraid to grow up and leave your own childish ways. Don’t allow yourself to be defined by your past. Our past, good and bad, does shape who we are today, but the past is the past, and you can’t change any of it. You can focus on today and your future, and be the best you can be moving forward. Kobe’s life was cut way too short, but may his legacy live on and inspire us on to be better men and women.
“Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.”
- Kobe Bryant
I'll leave this video here. Kobe's mentality about basketball can be applied to life, to relationships, to success, to anything.
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