2024 — Year of the Mamba Mentality
Embodying relentless work ethic, continuous learning, mental toughness, fearlessness, adaptability, passion for the process, and leadership in 2024
I was one of those kids who grew up throwing just about anything into a trash can from a distance yelling “Kobe”. I loved basketball and Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest, most entertaining players to watch. For a large part of his career, he wore the number 24. Since it is the year 2024, I wanted to make my theme for the year related to Kobe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant famously described the Mamba Mentality as: “Mamba Mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most. It’s the ultimate mantra for those who strive to be their best version, no matter the circumstances.”
This year, I plan to put all the other years of training and learning together and take action in every life area. Each year, I have done the exact same thing, but without the rigor of the mamba mentality. The goal for this year to is to kick it up a notch in each life areas I already work on, and to approach each challenge and task with consistency, passion, mental toughness, fearlessness, adaptability, all while enjoying the process.
Each of my goals this year have already been listed out. Some of the things on my list have been on my list for the past 5 years, while others are brand new and never been attempted at all in my life. Regardless of the mix of old and new activities I plan to partake in, they will all be met with the same qualities as Kobe Bryant did for basketball.
Consistency
In order to be consistent this year, I have created systems to make getting into the flow of things a lot easier. Morning routines, post work routines, and writing systems have been created in order to ensure I address the majority of the life areas and the goals I want to achieve within them.
Passion
I picked goals this year based on thought patterns that I had in previous years. Have you ever started a new endeavor, and then while pursuing it, you realized another endeavor that you want to try but just dont have the time for? This has happened to me on numerous occasions and so goals this year align with that voice in my head.
Furthermore, I picked some new goals this year that match my interests. The type of information that I gravitate towards consuming, I have made my goal to learn or create outputs similar to those who I admire. Because I enjoy consuming such content, I believe it will make performing the actions that much more exciting — going from watching the game, to being a part of it.
Mental Toughness
I never set easy goals for myself — challenges excite me. So I believe I have built my mental toughness overtime. What’s foreign to me is doing multiple challenges consecutively in different life areas. Usually, I spread my challenges out so I have ample time for recovery and to put bluntly, f*ck around. For the year of the Mamba, I plan to do give myself enough time to myself so I do not burn out and quit everything altogether, but aim to experience more discomfort.
Fearlessness
My year of no fear went really well in 2020. Every time I felt scared, I remembered my theme for the year and embraced the circumstances I put myself in. The goal is to do the same this year with the mamba mentality. The unknown is always scary, but putting myself in such position more often will help embrace the goal for the year.
I plan to be fearless in the different areas of my life with the way I approach them. For instance, I want to work on my health through combat training like BJJ and Boxing. For my career, I want to share bold ideas and thoughts to the table without caring about the consequences. Through my writing, I would like to be blunt and direct with how I communicate. These may seem trivial to some, but I have battled with being “nice” way too often in my mind due to fears of rejection, pain, and regret.
Adaptability
In order to be adaptable, I need to keep an open mind. Throughout the year, there will be obstacles that I face, and events that occur that are unforeseen. By being mindful of the situation, and embracing the change it may bring, I can showcase the mamba mentality.
By practicing mindfulness (one of my goals this year) and requesting feedback from others, I can improve my current skills and provide better more valuable outputs. Be sure to leave your feedbacks on my post and future posts :)
Enjoying the Process
I hope that my challenges and goals this year were created in a way that allows me to enjoy the process just like Kobe. Once I get into full swing and build the consistency of doing the activities, I can then make modifications to make them more enjoyable. For instance, I want to write a book this year. If my writing system is not making writing fun, then I need to come up with a new one. If writing based off of an outline that ensures I hit on the most important points get boring, I can instead create an outline of questions and answer them. I do that with my journaling practice and I enjoy it, so it may be a different approach I can adopt which involves being flexible with my strategy and systems. It is not a good system, if it is not enjoyable.
Kobe Bryant was so good at basketball because he loved it. He trained harder than the average player, and had relentless work ethic to be great. He had a passion for the sport and that showed in his performance. He enjoyed getting better as a player.
After reading so many self help books, I have come to realize that many of the concepts of talented individuals are shared. The Mamba Mentality is no different than other methods that emphasize growth, resilience, and a determined mindset. If the Mamba Mentality does not resonate with you, look into the Kaizen Philosophy, the grit mindset, stoic principles, and more.
If you want to try the mamba mentality, great! Message me if you need an accountability partner.
