“It’s not about the number of hours you practice; it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice.” –Kobe Bryant
Work ethic.
Mindset.
These two words seem to be thrown around quite a bit. But what do they really mean?
My favorite player answers the questions of what it takes to make your dreams become a reality.
Kobe shared in an interview with Lewis Howes how he essentially went from a zero to a hero. He was a scrawny kid who didn’t score a single point for an entire summer in an organized league – to being the best player in the state.
In two years.
It comes down to simple math. If you work on your craft for 2-3 hours every day over the course of a year, how much better would you be? It takes consistency.
“You can do anything you want. Yes. BUT you have to put in the work to get there.” –Kobe Bryant
Kobe was different. He had a special kind of competitiveness inside him. The ability to handle crunch time and pressure situations with ease. A confidence that was rarely shaken.
Confidence.
Another term that we all strive for. How do you get it? How do you keep it? How do you overcome doubts that ring so loud in your mind?
Confidence boils down to two sources.
The first source is how much you pour into your craft.
Your practice.
Your preparation.
Your work ethic.
“It’s not about the number of hours you practice; it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice.” –Kobe Bryant
It always comes back to putting in the work. The more you prepare yourself for an opportunity the more confident you will be when that opportunity presents itself. You set yourself up for success with the practice and preparation attributed to your specific craft.
Although, there will be times when you fail. How you view losing is just as important as how you view winning.
Losing is exciting.
Your weaknesses are exposed.
It shows you how to get better.
The process should be the same whether you win or lose. Find what you could have done better, what worked, what didn’t, what you could have done differently. You have to do the hard stuff in studying your flaws and weaknesses. Don’t fall into the trap of overlooking those. Face it and learn from it. Study it and face it so you will have a better chance and be a little more prepared for the next opportunity.
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – are all an opportunity for me to rise.” –Kobe Bryant
At the end of the day you must put in the work to attain your goals. A question to reflect on as you chase your dreams:
“Am I practicing according to my aspirations?”
Stay tuned for next week’s blog post that will talk about the second source of confidence. Want to learn more about confidence? Check out the Mindset of Confidence Curriculum
