Shining In The Light
“You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light.”
-Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was notorious for early morning workouts in his quest to become one of the best basketball players ever to play the game–he’s #2 for me, right behind Michael Jordan. Most days, the coaching staff would arrive at the training facility and find Kobe napping because he had already gotten in his first (and maybe second) workout of the day. Kobe’s drive and work ethic are legendary and are matched by few.
Kobe literally worked hard in the dark of the night so that he was able to shine under the bright lights on the court.
Kobe’s obsession with becoming the best and winning also had its drawbacks, which he has talked about in interviews. You cannot train, practice, and study like he did without making sacrifices that not everyone is willing to make, which is okay. And, you do not have to match Kobe’s “Mamba Mentality” in order to step into your authentic life and achieve your version of greatness.
You don’t even have to work through the night. Working in the dark doesn’t have to be done in the literal sense. Your work in the “dark” could be when others, or the previous version of your Self, catch up on their favorite Netflix series, doom-scroll on social media, or continuously hit snooze and stay in bed. There is ample opportunity throughout the day to do a little extra work towards your goal, making you better than if you squandered that time.
Putting in extra work becomes easier when the work is going towards something you love–Kobe’s passion for the game of basketball was immeasurable, which made the sacrifice and effort worth it. It may not have been easy but it meant that much to him.
Passion is a great guide for determining where to put in the extra work.
There are different schools of thought on how to use passion in your life–some believe you should follow your passions, which means the things you are most passionate about are where you should be doing your work in the dark. Others believe you should find something you are good at and allow your passion to develop. I don’t believe there is a universal right answer for how passion becomes your guide–choose what resonates with you and allow it to guide the work you do in the dark.
If there is nothing in your life that makes you want to work in the dark, this might be your wake-up call to begin exploring your passions being neglected and see where they might take you.
You don’t have to match Kobe Bryant’s intensity for basketball but you do deserve to have something in your life that you care so much about, makes you happy, and would be something you’d go to work on when no one else is watching.
We all deserve to shine in the light at some point in our lives–let the passion(s) you are willing to work on in the dark get you there.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
