Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest athletes of all time. In 2016, we got to see why. Bryant gave a speech at an awards show. He used the moment to address all athletes. “We’re not on this stage just because of talent or ability,” Bryant said. “We’re up here because of 4 am. “We’re up here because of two-a-days or five-a-days. “We’re up here because we had a dream and let nothing stand in our way.” It was the Mamba Mentality on full display. *** LESSON: You can’t cheat the work Bryant was an obsessive athlete. • He’d workout at 4am • He’d train 3x as much (or more) as others • He had a ruthlessly competitive mindset He’s the perfect example of what happens when elite talent and work ethic come together. The lesson here isn’t to be Kobe Bryant. • You don’t need to wake up at 3am (sleep is good) • You don’t need to constantly train (over-training is real) • You don’t need to be ruthlessly competitive (there’s a dark side) But whatever your craft, you can’t cheat the work. There’s a process to becoming great (at anything). • It requires time, intention and discipline • It demands an unreasonable commitment • It’s not for the lukewarm or the faint-hearted There’s no shortcut to the highest mountains. *** Follow @TMitrosilis for more content like this.