We all know Kobe Bryant.

You know, five-time NBA Champion for the Los Angeles Lakers?

NBA’s Most Valuable Player?

Hell, he even won an Academy Award for best short film.

And for a lot of die-hard basketball fans, he’s viewed as the GOAT. At the least, he’s ranked top-five basketball players of all time.

That’s not something to take lightly when you consider that there are around 550 players in the NBA every year.

And there are tens of thousands of all-star college athletes who don’t even make the draft.

In other words, Kobe has beaten out thousands of people throughout his 20-year career playing basketball.

But the real question is, how did he do it?

I think the best way for me to answer that question is through a story.

It was the day of the championship between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The game wasn’t until 7 PM so Jay Williams, a player for the Chicago Bulls decided to get there at 3 o’clock and make 400 shots before he went back to the room to prep for the game.

So Jay shows up on the court 4 hours before the game and who does he see?

Kobe Bryant.

And it’s not like he showed up at the same time. Kobe was already sweating and putting in the work.

So Jay, thinking Kobe was about to give out, went ahead and started making his shots on the court.

After about an hour, hour and a half, Jay was wiped and decided to get his break in before the game.

But as he was walking off the court, all he could hear was Kobe’s ball still bouncing off the floor.

At this point he was just curious at how long Kobe could keep at it. So he sat down and watched him practice for about another 30 minutes before Kobe finally finished up and made his way to the locker room.

That night, Kobe dropped 40 points on the Chicago Bulls and was the defining catalyst to helping the Lakers win the championship.

After the game, Jay thought to himself, “I have to ask this guy. I have to understand why he works like that.”

So about 30 minutes after the game, Jay walked up to Kobe and asked, “Why were you in the gym for so long?”

And Kobe said, “Because I saw you come in. And I wanted you to know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, that I’m willing to work harder than you.”

To finish off by saying, “You inspire me to do better.”

And it was at that moment Jay realized he wasn’t doing enough. That he's just witnessed a level of competitiveness that only a few people achieve.

I think that last statement from Kobe carries a lot of weight.

We tend to hate, loathe, and stress about our competition. When in actuality, we should be grateful towards them.

Because they’re the ones that set the bar for you. All you have to do is go a little farther to beat them at their own game.

In Kobe’s case, he practiced for 30 minutes longer than Jay.

For others, it might be one extra mile.

One extra rep in the gym.

One extra phone call.

That’s how you beat your competition. By doing one more. That’s the separator.

And it’s because Kobe always did one more that he mastered the craft of basketball.

You can’t become the GOAT by putting in the same amount of work as everyone else.

You have to want it just a little bit more than they do.

And eventually, you’ll reap the rewards.

As Frank Sinatra says, “The best revenge is massive success.”

So don’t curse your competition for taking the spotlight. Thank them because ultimately, they’re the ones inspiring you.

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m still reading Amor Towles’ book A Gentleman in Moscow. A historical fiction that follows the life of a gentleman who is put under house arrest in one of Moscow’s most prestigious hotels.

Quote Of The Week - “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” — Pablo Picasso