For the past few weeks our City of Angels has been mourning the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and all the souls aboard the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, just 2 exits down from my home where I live. So many of us have been feeling this loss very deeply and personally, and wondering why his passing has hit us all so hard, especially since he’s not someone we’ve ever met in person. After pondering this for some time, I realize that it’s because of the way he made us FEEL.
You see, we invited him into our homes every time we turned on the TV to watch the Lakers for 2 entire decades. We were dazzled by his magical skills on the basketball court, doing things that no one else could do. He made us sit at the edge of our seats. He got us excited. He made us cheer. He made us scream. And he delivered for us, again and again and again. And we loved him for it. We showered him with our love, and in return, he gave us everything he had. He won us 5 championships here in LA. And even though HE won the championship, WE became champions too.
The reason we feel so connected to him is because he connected to US on an emotional level for so long. He made us feel joy and excitement and love and pride! He made us feel like champions! Who else has done that for us? This is something really special. He made us FEEL. He touched us on a soul level by connecting to our most powerful positive emotions. This is why we feel so personally connected to him. Maya Angelou famously said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” I most certainly will never forget all the excitement and joy that he made me feel.
Kobe made us believe that dreams come true. He was an incredible example of a person who knew exactly who he was, what he wanted and what his purpose was. He did this by connecting to his greatest love and passion and putting in the work to do it the best he possibly could. That’s the Mamba Mentality. Figure out what you love and dedicate yourself to it. Be the best version of yourself that you can be, by being better than you were yesterday, and by being better tomorrow than you were today. So much of what he advocated for and lived by is exactly what I teach.
My intention is to continue his legacy by inspiring you to believe in yourself and play a bigger game in your life. It’s time for you to reconnect to who you really are and shift the way you think and approach your life experience. Perspective is everything. Living with a Mamba Mentality will help you realize your greatest potential and bring more joy to your life. It’s time to open your mind and heart to do some honest reflection and be willing to let go of what has been holding you back in life, so you can dream big and live a life full of happiness and fulfillment… because when you feel happy and fulfilled, it permeates throughout every aspect of your life. Your mood will improve. Your relationships will improve. Your opportunities will improve. Everything will be better. So let’s make Kobe’s greatest legacy his Mamba Mentality and allow ourselves to pursue our own version of greatness, just the way he did. Imagine the impact we can all make on the world if we come together and follow in his footsteps. Carry him in your heart, and be the champion that you are meant to be.
