“Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
- Kobe Bryant
The power of yet is having a growth mindset and instead of believing and saying you can’t do something, you believe and say you can do something yet.
Two of my favorite examples of the power of yet come from Kobe Bryant.
Kobe spent much of his childhood in Italy where his dad played professional basketball, and when he came back to the United States as a 13-year-old, Kobe said he went through an entire season where he didn’t score a single point.
Instead of getting too down on himself and quitting, Kobe said he made a plan for how he was going to improve, and he became the best player in the state and the country before going straight to the NBA out of high school.
During his rookie season, Kobe shot 4 airballs in the final 5 minutes and overtime in a closeout playoff game, ending his team’s playoff run and season. Doing this could have destroyed his confidence, but like he did when he was a teenager, Kobe created a plan, got stronger and more in shape, and went on to become known as one of the most clutch athletes in the history of sports.
There are things we naturally do well, and there are things we naturally struggle with.
Embrace the power of yet. Have a vision for yourself, create a plan, and have the discipline to stick to it no matter what is going on around you.
Reflection Question: What is something you struggle with now or aren’t good at yet that you want to get better at? What is your plan for getting better, and how will you stay disciplined?
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