J. Mike

Kobe on mastering the basics: “Kobe was going through an intense warm up before his scheduled workout started with his trainer. I sat down to watch. For the first 45 minutes I was actually shocked. For the first 45 minutes I watched the best player in the world do the most basic footwork and offensive moves. Kobe was doing stuff that I had routinely taught to middle school aged players This is Kobe Bryant we're talking about. This is the Black Mamba. He was doing everything at an unparalleled level of effort with unparalleled focus, but the actual stuff he was doing was very, very basic. Later that day at camp I went up to him and said: “Kobe, I don't understand. You're the best player in the world. Why are you doing such basic drills?” He said: “Why do you think I'm the best player in the world? Because I never get bored with the basics. I *never* get bored with the basics.” Just because something is basic doesn't mean that it's easy. If it was easy, everyone else would be doing it. So the key to us improving our performance in any area of our life is identifying what those basics are, what those fundamentals are, and being relentlessly committed to performing them with consistency. And that's hard because the basics are usually boring. They're mundane. They’re monotonous. We all want to chase what's flashy and what's sexy, but the basics is where the gold is. The the highest performers I've ever been around —in basketball or business— have found a way to fall in love with the basics and make them a part of their daily routine.