Mamba Mentality (Interlude)

Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! When I retired from the game I sat there asking kind of all the wrong questions What's the biggest industry I can get into? It's all the wrong stuff Then you got to sit there and ask yourself Okay, what am I truly passionate about? What do I enjoy doing? And when you feel that way, honestly You feel like you've never worked a day in your life It's the most fun thing in the world You get up in the morning excited about what you're doing And you got to be really honest with yourself about it If you wake up in the morning and you're dreading going to work Dude do something else Do something else And those are hard decisions to make But when you make those decisions It's a very liberating experience And you'll find out that the rewards will come I want to start off by reading something that you wrote Right after you were injured You said this (You're going to read the whole thing?) I'm going to read some of it "This is such BS All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with One step that I've done millions of times The frustration is unbearable Anger is rage Why the hell did this happen? It makes no damn sense Now I'm supposed to come back from this And be the same player or better at 35? How in the world am I supposed to do that? I have no clue Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair And reminisce on the career that was Maybe this is how my book ends Maybe Father Time has defeated me Then again, maybe not It's 3.30 a.m My foot feels like dead weight My head is spinning from the pain meds and I'm wide awake Forgive my venting, but what's the purpose of social media If I won't bring it to you real, no image It feels good to vent, to let it out To feel as if this is the worst thing ever Because after all the venting The real perspective sets in Of there are far greater issues And challenges in the world than a torn Achilles Stop feeling sorry for yourself Find the silver lining and get to work With the same belief Same drive And same conviction as ever One day the beginning of a new career journey will commence Today is not that day If you see me in a fight with a bear Pray for the bear I've always loved that quote That's Mamba Mentality We don't quit We don't cower We don't run We endure and conquer" Hello, everyone I'm so sorry I can't be with you tonight However, I couldn't completely miss the chance To take a moment to share some thoughts with all of you The lesson I cherish the most is how important it is To love what you do If you love what you do And it's making you happy All the hard work and perseverance will pay off You can't stop people from trying to limit your dreams But you can stop it from becoming a reality Your dreams are up to you I encourage you to always be curious Always seek out things you love And always work hard once you find it So with that I'll let you carry on with your evening Please know I'm thinking of you Supporting you And encouraging you Always