The Pursuit of Excellence - Kobe Bryant Reveals the Cheat Sheet

-  ©GC Diaries

Earlier this week, on Monday 18 December 2017, the L. A. Lakers basketball team retired Kobe Bryant's two (2) jerseys - #8 and #24 (an NBA First), which he wore throughout an illustrious 20 year career in the NBA.

While wearing each of these jerseys, he delivered "Hall of Fame" status performance - scoring 16777 points and 16866 points with #8 and # 24 respectively as well as earning 5 championship rings.

He was wearing #8 when he scored 81 points in a game against Toronto Raptors on 22 January 2006: 
https://youtu.be/FeXZY4eVLlo

He was wearing #24 when he scored 60 points against Utah Jazz on 13 April 2016 in his last game, one that marked a grand ending to his playing career:

https://youtu.be/4SIi0_LeOl4

Put simply, his single career was worth that of two "great-great" players.

I love basketball - often I look at my High School Basketball Colours on my "retired" blazer with great nostalgia and emotion. 

Basketball Colours on my
Victoria High School Blazer

But this post is not about sports and if you think it is about Basketball, then you have missed the point.

Basketball just provides some context and Kobe makes a good proxy for all of us with aspirations and looking to achieve in our careers.

Often we forget that professional athletes, just like us, are men and women at work; building a career and chasing dreams.

This post is about work ethic and pursuit of excellence in one's career.

It is about an attitude, a mindset and the discipline of what it takes to be the BEST.

It is about bringing your "A" Game in everything that has your name on it.

It is about being better than yourself in a way that makes everyone around you better....including your competition, if they still want to compete with you.

It is about being the standard and not following a standard - when being good is not good enough.

It is about showing up and not just showing face.

It is about believing in a process that delivers the results.

Kobe revealed the secret and gave us the cheat sheet on his big night when he said:

"Those times when you get up early... those times when you stay up late... when you're too tired... you don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway.

THAT IS ACTUALLY THE DREAM!"

In 2018 - LIVE THE DREAM & PURSUE EXCELLENCE!

BRING YOUR "A" GAME IN EVERYTHING THAT HAS YOUR NAME ON IT!

 ©GC Diaries