GET EXCITED FOR FAILURE AS MUCH AS SUCCESS. A LESSON FROM KOBE BRYANT

This morning this one phrase stuck in my brain. I listened to an interview of Kobe Bryant and when he was asked about failure, he said, “it’s exciting.” He then went on to add how he approaches losing the same as winning. Most would argue you learn more when you lose, however, Kobe would argue you can learn equally at both.

When I hear Kobe use the word “exciting” when speaking of losing, that’s inspiring. What a fantastic approach to life. For me, this goes back to the power of learning. When we learn, we grow.

This thought got me thinking about all the times I have failed and remembering how I felt. It got me thinking. I wondered, “what would be a better approach to my losses?” I started retracing my steps in some of my big losses. I wanted to assess how I was doing. I knew I wasn’t as good as Kobe, but I was still curious.

Most recently, my big loss was losing all my money in the stock market during the Covid crash. When I look back, I was not excited. I was devastated. However, it was partly out of my control. I can’t control the stock market but I could control the trades I was doing.

My mindset at the time was to make more money and make more money. It felt like my process was to go to fast and rush the process. In doing so, I was actually more interested in the “destination” rather than the “journey.” I wanted to provide more for my family so bad. However, losing it all showed me these fundamental flaws.

Since then, I’ve adjusted my strategy for investing “big time.” In addition, I’ve also slowed down life. Because I’m obsessed with the destination, I’ve consciously paused to remind myself of the journey. I simply want the journey to be the prize. I want the mundane to be my miracle.

I’ve got to run, the babies are calling me and that is my journey today. I will be enjoying messy breakfasts, dirty floors and a townhouse too small for us but thankful we have it. This is my day, this is my journey and I’m grateful for it.