A huge spectrum of great adjectives unfolds before us if we try to describe Kobe Bryant. But if we had to summarize it in a few words we would say “mamba mentality” (mindset mamba), the spiritual philosophy that defines and summarizes the success of the former basketball player.
Far from basking in eternal fame, the sports legend took the success of his career and used it with a greater sense of responsibility, which today could be applied as a philosophy of life, depending on what your beliefs are.
Kobe Bryant’s philosophy is post-sports investment with personal and social value that resonates around the world. The famous «mamba mentality” is more than a compilation of motivational phrases. It is a way of thinking and acting that turns to human being into a specialist of himself, his abilities and his weaknesses.
The essence of the former NBA player was found in passion. It is this factor that moves us to achieve something, to give much more than expected, but also to find balance. Kobe recounts in his book mamba mentality that from observing an image taken from a game, he understood the importance of controlling himself and his environment.
The former basketball player analyzed his posture, strength, balance and his way of functioning, with the sole objective of improving. After understanding his movements, he was able to position himself on the court, shoot better, play a good defense, and so on.
But it wasn’t just up to him. Kobe challenged the others on every play to understand the behavior of the others. He examined the pros and cons of each situation or person. He introspected to understand what was happening and as a result, he improved.
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This is the key focus of the “mamba mentality”: know the environment, vary the approaches and possibilities, learn from what surrounds us and make the best of it at the right time. Mastering our mind makes us leaders of our lives and gives us control of our decisions.
Achieving this is not easy, it is about working internally until knowing how to use our abilities and weaknesses. Transforming ourselves to be better is a process that never ends, because our environment is constantly changing. But if Kobe Byrant showed anything, it’s that until the end we decide who we want to be and how we want to live in the world.
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