Monday Motivation, 3.8.2021

Written by: Brett Hawkins

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

When I found out the date that I’d be doing my very first Monday Motivation, I knew instantly that I wanted to share on. Kobe Bryant. You can argue whether or not Kobe was a good person because of his off the court issues, but what you can’t argue is that he was one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. He was a 5 time NBA champion, 18 time All Star, 15 time All NBA player, 12 time member of the NBA All Defensive team, 2008 MVP, and 2 time Finals MVP. It wasn’t by accident that Kobe Bryant became one of the greatest players to play the game. Yes, he had tons of talent, but what he accredited all of his success to was his mindset that he called “MAMBA MENTALITY”.

For Bryant, mamba mentality was about more than just basketball. He’s quoted as saying the “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”.

The Mamba Mentality is about obsession. It’s about prioritizing your professional goals over having a normal life. It’s about playing without fear, mastering your craft and wanting not only to win, but to dominate. While doing some research for this topic, I came across an article that broke down exactly what the Mamba Mentality is comprised of, called “The 5 Pillars of the Mamba Mentality”.

Resilience: “The Black Mamba was a nickname and alter-ego that Kobe created for himself in a deliberate effort to handle significant off court issues in his life, and allow him to perform on the court to the level that he expected of himself. Kobe would deal with the issues in his personal life, and “The Black Mamba” took care of business on the basketball court. In spite of obstacles, Kobe persevered.

Fearlessness: Because Kobe was such a prolific athlete, he was heavily scrutinized and critiqued for how he played the game. But Kobe didn’t let that distract him. He fed off of the negative energy and it fueled him on the court.

Relentlessness and Obsessiveness: Kobe was a fierce competitor at heart with an intense work ethic and dedication to preparation before he played. He made the decision in high school and during his professional career to get up before 5 am to work out. He believed that starting earlier allowed him to get more done than his

NBA peers, and that over the course of his career it would separate him from the others to the extent that they could never recover and bridge the gap.

Passion: When asked how he developed the mindset, Kobe said “it’s a matter of what’s important to you. Kobe was passionate about basketball, and didn’t feel good about himself if he wasn’t doing everything that he could to be the best version of himself.

So how can you utilize the Mamba Mentality? Ask yourself some honest questions:

• What do you value? What’s important to you?
• Are you making consistent choices that reflect your values?
• What drives you to work harder than everyone else?
• Are you confident in your abilities, no matter the opinion of others?
• How do you respond to setbacks?
• Are the people in your life supportive of your vision?

Everyone can’t be Kobe. But what you can be is the best version of yourself. Just like Kobe aspired to be.

Born in Fort Riley, Kansas but raised in Colonial Heights, Virginia, Brett is a graduate of Colonial Heights High School and Longwood University. After graduating from Longwood University, Brett spent two years on the west coast playing baseball for Independent Minor League Baseball teams located in Arizona, Colorado, and Washington. Following his baseball career, Brett became a Certified Personal Trainer. Brett was also a committed youth leader at his church and the opportunity arose for him to step into a role as Youth Pastor for the church in 2017. Brett served faithfully as Youth Pastor at his church for over 3 years (where he is still actively involved) when the door opened in 2020 to pursue a career in Real Estate. Having known fellow RLT team member Kaitlyn Gwaltney through playing baseball with her husband Matt in high school and college, Brett eagerly reached out to Kaitlyn to inquire about Hometown Realty and soon after he joined The Rogers-Long Team. In his spare time, you are likely to find Brett serving at a church event, playing softball, enjoying coffee at a local shop, or out exploring nature.