Before this life of watches, I was an athlete, and even now, I still am a massive sports fan. As I closely follow the NBA, I once had a chance to listen to Giannis Antetokoumpo’s interview, and it got me sitting at my desk to write about it.
Image from "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
In the interview, Giannis tells a story when he worked out with the late Kobe Bryant, and the advice he received from Kobe was to always think outside the box, and to ‘be like a kid’. Giannis did not understand what he meant by “be a kid”. What Kobe meant by “Being a kid” is that kids dream, kids always want to learn, are curious, and ask questions, why, why. It’s the purity that children have that adults tend to lose as we grow older and form into the society. But I believe it is exactly what we need more of at times especially for adults.
We all grew up with dreams. Dreams of becoming something, fantasising their "Dream" life. I was that kid too. I dreamt of playing football for a living for a long time, so I worked my butt off for it. Although it did not end in a way I would have hoped for, I felt the most alive in those couple years of me chasing after the dream. I am at peace with that dream not being achieved knowing that I have put in my heart and soul, and realised that some things are not meant to be.
Just like this, a lot of kids grow up with dreams and imaginations. Nothing is stopping them from doing what they want to do. But as we get older, we shape into the society, learn that the world is not all sunshines and rainbows, some face limitations and boundaries, which leads to people shaping themselves into the society and becoming a product of the society. This is what Kobe was trying to tell Giannis. People who grew up watching Kobe know how obsessed he was at his craft. He outworked everybody throughout his 20+ years in the NBA. He was never satisfied, wanted to learn more, curious, and further develop even after being a 5 time NBA champion. He had that purity of a Kid. Always be curious, think about the ‘why’, not afraid to fail. Kids fail to get up and walk a hundred times, but they still try until they are able to. We need more of that mentality. Mencius stated about being an adult as “someone who does not lose the mind of a child”. Kobe had that.
Image from "Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company" https://www.wright-brothers.org
The Wright brothers. Nobody believed that they would manage to fly an object in the air until 17th of December 1903 when they achieved the first flight. People did not believe in the Wright brothers because scientists stated that it’s impossible in numbers. But somehow they did. They believed in themselves, and kept on trying, they kept failing and failing until they succeeded.
Image from "The Independent"
One of my favourite speeches I have listened to is the last part of former NBA player Steve Nash’s Hall of Fame speech. At the end of the speech he says “Find something you love to do. Do it everyday. Be obsessed. Balance can come later. Use your imagination. Put pen to paper. Declare your intentions. Set small goals. Knock them off, set more goals. Gain momentum. Build confidence. Grow a deep belief. Outwork people. Play the long game. You don’t have to be the chosen one. The secret is to build resolve and spirit, to enjoy the plateaus, the times when you don’t feel like you're improving and you question why you're doing this. If you are patient, the plateaus will become springboards. Never stop striving, reaching for your goals, until you get there. But the truth is, even when you get there, it’s the striving, fighting, pushing yourself to the limit everyday that you will miss and long for. You will never feel more alive than when you give something everything you have.” Another great representation of the mentality of having the mind of a child. This speech is written on the first page of all my notebooks and I tend to come back to this speech on a regular basis. All the little things that I do during the day come to this speech. Setting small goals, knocking them off, sometimes questioning why I do what I do and doubting myself if it is all worth it. But I am staying patient, believing it all pays off at the end some way or another.
It’s scary. To step out of your comfort zone and take that leap of faith to chase after our dreams because it requires a significant amount of risk. But what’s scarier is us living with regrets. Regrets and thoughts of what we could’ve done if we did so. Us playing small does not serve the world.
