Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality

Yesterday would have marked Kobe Bryant’s 42^nd Birthday. He was one of basketball’s greatest ever athletes who we tragically lost earlier this year. During his illustrious career, players commonly referred to him as ‘black mamba’, which is a reference to Kill Bill and black mambas were the deadly assassins in the film.
 
Kobe Bryant was renowned for his hard work and dedication on and off the pitch and he emphasised about putting more work in than anyone else, people referred to this as ‘Mamba Mentality’, this is how he summarised his mentality in his book.
 
“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most. It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit.  It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes — and even non-athletes — embrace as a mindset. Hard work outweighs talent — every time, Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate.”
 
During times like these which is filled with doubt and uncertainty it is important to put in the work, more work than the next person and trust that the work you put will help you perform when you need to most.