Love the Process

The secret underneath all of it. Kobe did not grind because he hated where he was. He did it because he loved the work itself. The 4am gym was not a punishment, it was his favorite place to be. He was obsessed with getting better, and the trophies were a byproduct, not the point.

Dear Basketball. When Kobe retired, he did not write about trophies. He wrote a love letter to the game, about being a six year old rolling up his dad's socks and shooting imaginary game winners. It became a short film that won an Academy Award. After five championships, what he wanted to talk about was the love.

The work becomes the reward. When your eyes are only on the outcome, the work feels like a toll you pay. When you fall in love with the process, the work becomes the reward, and you can do it for a lifetime. The wild part is that the results come faster this way, because you are not anxious, you are absorbed.

Find the love. Find the part of the work that lights you up, and let that be why you show up. Play like the kid who fell in love with the game, because that kid is still in there, and that kid is where the Mamba Mentality really lives.