March 1, 2023 • 11 mins
Today Dramos talks about the late great Kobe Bryant. Although not a hip hop artist, Bryant's philosophy on mamba mentality paved the way for his success. This idea ties in with a stoic quote on the importance of focusing on what's in front of you in order to achieve all that you want in this life.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street
Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoke
(00:23):
philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. Now, with that
in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot
of inspiration. Now today we are going to be focusing
around the stoic idea of focusing on what you can control,
(00:45):
but more specifically embracing the process and valuing progress over perfection.
And today I want to do something different. We're not
gonna be talking about a rapper. We're talking about the
late great Kobe Bryant. Saw a video of him. It
got me inspired to pull up some quotes from him
because I think he just has this incredible mentality and
(01:09):
he's so inspirational. You know. The whole idea of the
Mamba mentality, it just kind of came to mind and
felt like something I wanted to dive into. And it
works so well with what we're talking about today. And Kobe,
in his own words describing Mamba mentality, he said, Mamba
mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting
(01:30):
in the hard work when it matters. Most hard work
outweighs talent every time. Mamba mentality is about four am workouts,
doing more than the next guy, and then trusting in
the work you've put in when it's time to perform.
Without studying, preparation and practice, you're leaving the outcome to fate.
(01:51):
I don't do fate. And man, there's so much to
digest in those words right there, But I love that
last line. I want to start there where he says,
I don't do fate, and I just think that that's
so incredibly powerful, right, because he's he's obviously talking about,
you know, how he doesn't leave things up to chance
if he can help it, right, And and let's be honest,
(02:14):
we all want the easier path in life, right, we
oftentimes end up focusing so much time on this fantasy,
right or you know, thinking about what our life is
going to be like when we get that goal or
that outcome that we're desiring, you know, is achieved. We
end up putting more effort into that than the actual
(02:34):
work that it takes to produce, you know, something of quality.
And sure you can, you can half ass things, and
maybe you're gonna get lucky every once in a while,
but that's not sustainable. You know, if you if you
want real growth, and you want real longevity, and whatever
it is that you are doing, the only thing you
can do is put in the work each and every day.
(02:56):
I mean, you think about, you know, someone like Kobe Bryant,
and I had heard a podcast interview with him when
he was releasing the book Momba Mentality and talks about
as like a young kid and he was undersized and
wasn't the best at the camps that he would go
to as a team, you know, but but he kept
his head down. He focused on himself, you know, he
focused on perfecting his craft. He talked about how he
(03:18):
you know, wanted to set his mind on the fundamentals. Right.
He knew that if he became great at the fundamentals,
it would eventually lead to ultimate greatness, you know, in
what he does. Right, So each and every day he
busted his asset and focused on these small things, the
fundamentals of basketball. And then he talked about how each
summer he would go back to those camps and he'd
(03:39):
be just a little bit better. And this went on
until eventually he was the best person at those camps. Right.
But it was all because he stayed dedicated each and
every day right, And he was focused on becoming great
at the fundamentals, which is what led to long term success.
You know, he knew that he couldn't just take shortcuts
and then expect to be great or to expect you know,
(04:01):
consistent greatness. You know, if he was just taking the
quick and easy routes. He knew that he had to
become great at all the little things, all the small things,
all the things that are not flashy but truly make
you a well rounded basketball player in this instance, right,
But for us we're talking about trying to become well
rounded as a human being or in whatever it is
that we're we're trying to chase after. I think the
(04:24):
same rules apply. You know, Kobe was focusing on the
things that were actually of importance and that would genuinely
make him a better player, rather than the things that
would you know, be be impressed to others and maybe
help him win a couple of games. Right. And this
leads to to a stoic quote from from Marcus Aurelius,
and this comes from his his journals and in meditations.
He says, concentrate every minute like a Roman on doing
(04:48):
what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly,
willingly with justice, and on freeing yourself from all other distractions.
Yes you can if you do everything as it were
the last thing you were doing in your life, and
stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your
(05:09):
mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self centered, irritable. You
see how few things you have to do to live
a satisfying and reverent life. If you can manage this,
that's all even the gods can ask of you. And
that one's obviously a bit lengthy, but I particularly love
the part where he says, focusing on what's in front
(05:29):
of you with precise and genuine seriousness, right, Like, it
doesn't matter if you're doing the most mundane task like
shooting a free throw, right, you should be treating it
like the most important thing in the world in that moment,
because it is, like, too often we take ourselves out
of the present moment by thinking about the future outcome,
and it ends up making us, you know, incredibly sloppy
(05:52):
at the thing that's actually in front of us. And
when you lose focus on any one of the steps
within the process, it makes you sloppy, or it allows
you to set yourself up for failure in this case
that we're talking about. You know, having that sort of
focus on the process and valuing even the most mundane
task is what allows you to truly grow. It allows
you to become better and eventually become great. Like Kobe
(06:13):
kept doing this, you know, in whatever he did until
the day that he sadly, you know, passed away. Someone
can always come along and pass him, you know, if
he if he didn't continue his dedication towards growth and greatness,
that is what helped him stay on top four so long. Now,
all of this is incredibly personal to me, and I
relate to it in so many different facets of my
(06:34):
life looking back at my life and my career and
all of my experiences. You know, one of the things
that really resonates from these quotes from Kobe, you know,
he talks about how hard work outweighs talent, and that's
something that I think I always adapted, you know, from
my early days in chasing you know, my dream in
the music industry, and the reality is, you know, I'm
(06:55):
probably the least talented person of the artists and the
musicians that I came up with. Yet I'm the only
one who's actually making a living doing what they love.
And why is that? It's because I took every opportunity,
no matter how small it was, I took it seriously.
You know, if it was somebody at the radio station
asking me to grow on a grocery run for them
(07:16):
for some you know party that they were throwing, I
took that job seriously. I did it to the best
of my ability, right, And those are all you know,
that's a small, stupid task, but it just shows you
my dedication towards whatever I was doing that each and
every opportunity that I was given, even if it wasn't
something that directly seemed like it would lead to something,
and that in order for that outcome to hopefully happen,
(07:38):
I had to do that mundane task well, right, And
that did eventually lead me to getting a gig and radio.
That person who I was making grocery runs for ended
up being my boss who got me my first job. Right.
And again, it's something I consistently have to remind myself
of every time I do something. I just recently had
put out a book called Just b And even with that,
you know, I started with the most pure intentions. You know,
(08:01):
I am just trying to write something that feels special
to me. That I'm being vulnerable, and towards the end
of the process, I'm already finding myself thinking about what's
going to happen when it's out, who's going to read him?
And then making myself nervous. Oh my goodness, Now all
these people are gonna gonna hear my innermost, you know,
deepest thoughts, and that would water down be content that
I was writing during that period, and I had to
(08:22):
check myself. I had to say, I'm not putting out
the best product possible. I am losing sight of the
process and focusing too much on the outcome. And at
the end of the day, you know that is not
going to lead towards long term success. Now we have
heard from man the late great Kobe Bryant. We've heard
some words from Marcus Aurelius. I've given you some insight
into my own personal attachment to this idea. Now let's
(08:45):
talk about how you can make it your mantra for today.
But first let's take a quick break and then we'll
be right back. All right, So we have heard the
words of Kobe Bryant. We have heard Marcus Surrealius, I
have talked about how I have a personal attachment to
(09:06):
the stoic idea of focusing on what you can control,
and specifically when it comes to embracing the process. Right now,
let's talk about how you can apply this, how you
can make it your mantra for today. Now, I think
it starts with focusing on what's in front of you,
right like we all would would love to have more
control in our lives, right more say, and obviously not
(09:27):
complete control. But the more that you focus on doing
the work, the more control that you're going to have
in your life. Right Like, the harder we work, the
better we become, The better we become, the less things
that we leave up to chance, you know, but we
have to be dedicated to the process, dedicated to what
is in front of us, right that is the most
(09:47):
important thing. And to summarize all that we've talked about
on this idea of focusing on what you can control
and embracing the process, you know, we started with Kobe
and this Mamba mentality, right and I love the words
that he says where without studying, preparation and practice, you're
leaving the outcome to fate. I don't do fate right now.
(10:09):
The words of Marcus Aurelius, right. I love what he
says here when he talks about doing what's in front
of you with precise and genuine seriousness, And I think
that's speaking to all of the little things that add
up to something big, all of the mundane tasks that
seem so insignificant, taking them incredibly serious, focusing on them
(10:30):
like they are the most important thing in the world. Right.
And lastly, when it comes to my story, you know,
I can pinpoint the difference between the times that I
was putting in the work and slowing down and focusing
on greatness rather than validation, and those were the moments
where I saw the most growth personally and professionally. Again,
(10:52):
you have to slow down, you have to focus on
the process and treat everything that you're doing, everything that's
in front of you. Ment the smallest task as the
most important thing to you in the world. Focus on
what's in front of you, and you'll be able to
achieve all that you want in this life. Now, with
that said that, I also want to plug my book
real quick. I mentioned if you want to check that out,
(11:14):
just be dot NYC that's the website. Just be to NYC.
I appreciate the support in advance, and thank you so
much for checking out the Street Stoke Podcast. Do your
best to apply these concepts that we've discussed today, Incia,
everyday life, and I will catch you next time. The
Streetstoke Podcast is a production of Ihearts Michael Bura Podcast
(11:37):
Network
Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street
Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoke
(00:23):
philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. Now, with that
in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot
of inspiration. Now today we are going to be focusing
around the stoic idea of focusing on what you can control,
(00:45):
but more specifically embracing the process and valuing progress over perfection.
And today I want to do something different. We're not
gonna be talking about a rapper. We're talking about the
late great Kobe Bryant. Saw a video of him. It
got me inspired to pull up some quotes from him
because I think he just has this incredible mentality and
(01:09):
he's so inspirational. You know. The whole idea of the
Mamba mentality, it just kind of came to mind and
felt like something I wanted to dive into. And it
works so well with what we're talking about today. And Kobe,
in his own words describing Mamba mentality, he said, Mamba
mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting
(01:30):
in the hard work when it matters. Most hard work
outweighs talent every time. Mamba mentality is about four am workouts,
doing more than the next guy, and then trusting in
the work you've put in when it's time to perform.
Without studying, preparation and practice, you're leaving the outcome to fate.
(01:51):
I don't do fate. And man, there's so much to
digest in those words right there, But I love that
last line. I want to start there where he says,
I don't do fate, and I just think that that's
so incredibly powerful, right, because he's he's obviously talking about,
you know, how he doesn't leave things up to chance
if he can help it, right, And and let's be honest,
(02:14):
we all want the easier path in life, right, we
oftentimes end up focusing so much time on this fantasy,
right or you know, thinking about what our life is
going to be like when we get that goal or
that outcome that we're desiring, you know, is achieved. We
end up putting more effort into that than the actual
(02:34):
work that it takes to produce, you know, something of quality.
And sure you can, you can half ass things, and
maybe you're gonna get lucky every once in a while,
but that's not sustainable. You know, if you if you
want real growth, and you want real longevity, and whatever
it is that you are doing, the only thing you
can do is put in the work each and every day.
(02:56):
I mean, you think about, you know, someone like Kobe Bryant,
and I had heard a podcast interview with him when
he was releasing the book Momba Mentality and talks about
as like a young kid and he was undersized and
wasn't the best at the camps that he would go
to as a team, you know, but but he kept
his head down. He focused on himself, you know, he
focused on perfecting his craft. He talked about how he
(03:18):
you know, wanted to set his mind on the fundamentals. Right.
He knew that if he became great at the fundamentals,
it would eventually lead to ultimate greatness, you know, in
what he does. Right, So each and every day he
busted his asset and focused on these small things, the
fundamentals of basketball. And then he talked about how each
summer he would go back to those camps and he'd
(03:39):
be just a little bit better. And this went on
until eventually he was the best person at those camps. Right.
But it was all because he stayed dedicated each and
every day right, And he was focused on becoming great
at the fundamentals, which is what led to long term success.
You know, he knew that he couldn't just take shortcuts
and then expect to be great or to expect you know,
(04:01):
consistent greatness. You know, if he was just taking the
quick and easy routes. He knew that he had to
become great at all the little things, all the small things,
all the things that are not flashy but truly make
you a well rounded basketball player in this instance, right,
But for us we're talking about trying to become well
rounded as a human being or in whatever it is
that we're we're trying to chase after. I think the
(04:24):
same rules apply. You know, Kobe was focusing on the
things that were actually of importance and that would genuinely
make him a better player, rather than the things that
would you know, be be impressed to others and maybe
help him win a couple of games. Right. And this
leads to to a stoic quote from from Marcus Aurelius,
and this comes from his his journals and in meditations.
He says, concentrate every minute like a Roman on doing
(04:48):
what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly,
willingly with justice, and on freeing yourself from all other distractions.
Yes you can if you do everything as it were
the last thing you were doing in your life, and
stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your
(05:09):
mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self centered, irritable. You
see how few things you have to do to live
a satisfying and reverent life. If you can manage this,
that's all even the gods can ask of you. And
that one's obviously a bit lengthy, but I particularly love
the part where he says, focusing on what's in front
(05:29):
of you with precise and genuine seriousness, right, Like, it
doesn't matter if you're doing the most mundane task like
shooting a free throw, right, you should be treating it
like the most important thing in the world in that moment,
because it is, like, too often we take ourselves out
of the present moment by thinking about the future outcome,
and it ends up making us, you know, incredibly sloppy
(05:52):
at the thing that's actually in front of us. And
when you lose focus on any one of the steps
within the process, it makes you sloppy, or it allows
you to set yourself up for failure in this case
that we're talking about. You know, having that sort of
focus on the process and valuing even the most mundane
task is what allows you to truly grow. It allows
you to become better and eventually become great. Like Kobe
(06:13):
kept doing this, you know, in whatever he did until
the day that he sadly, you know, passed away. Someone
can always come along and pass him, you know, if
he if he didn't continue his dedication towards growth and greatness,
that is what helped him stay on top four so long. Now,
all of this is incredibly personal to me, and I
relate to it in so many different facets of my
(06:34):
life looking back at my life and my career and
all of my experiences. You know, one of the things
that really resonates from these quotes from Kobe, you know,
he talks about how hard work outweighs talent, and that's
something that I think I always adapted, you know, from
my early days in chasing you know, my dream in
the music industry, and the reality is, you know, I'm
(06:55):
probably the least talented person of the artists and the
musicians that I came up with. Yet I'm the only
one who's actually making a living doing what they love.
And why is that? It's because I took every opportunity,
no matter how small it was, I took it seriously.
You know, if it was somebody at the radio station
asking me to grow on a grocery run for them
(07:16):
for some you know party that they were throwing, I
took that job seriously. I did it to the best
of my ability, right, And those are all you know,
that's a small, stupid task, but it just shows you
my dedication towards whatever I was doing that each and
every opportunity that I was given, even if it wasn't
something that directly seemed like it would lead to something,
and that in order for that outcome to hopefully happen,
(07:38):
I had to do that mundane task well, right, And
that did eventually lead me to getting a gig and radio.
That person who I was making grocery runs for ended
up being my boss who got me my first job. Right.
And again, it's something I consistently have to remind myself
of every time I do something. I just recently had
put out a book called Just b And even with that,
you know, I started with the most pure intentions. You know,
(08:01):
I am just trying to write something that feels special
to me. That I'm being vulnerable, and towards the end
of the process, I'm already finding myself thinking about what's
going to happen when it's out, who's going to read him?
And then making myself nervous. Oh my goodness, Now all
these people are gonna gonna hear my innermost, you know,
deepest thoughts, and that would water down be content that
I was writing during that period, and I had to
(08:22):
check myself. I had to say, I'm not putting out
the best product possible. I am losing sight of the
process and focusing too much on the outcome. And at
the end of the day, you know that is not
going to lead towards long term success. Now we have
heard from man the late great Kobe Bryant. We've heard
some words from Marcus Aurelius. I've given you some insight
into my own personal attachment to this idea. Now let's
(08:45):
talk about how you can make it your mantra for today.
But first let's take a quick break and then we'll
be right back. All right, So we have heard the
words of Kobe Bryant. We have heard Marcus Surrealius, I
have talked about how I have a personal attachment to
(09:06):
the stoic idea of focusing on what you can control,
and specifically when it comes to embracing the process. Right now,
let's talk about how you can apply this, how you
can make it your mantra for today. Now, I think
it starts with focusing on what's in front of you,
right like we all would would love to have more
control in our lives, right more say, and obviously not
(09:27):
complete control. But the more that you focus on doing
the work, the more control that you're going to have
in your life. Right Like, the harder we work, the
better we become, The better we become, the less things
that we leave up to chance, you know, but we
have to be dedicated to the process, dedicated to what
is in front of us, right that is the most
(09:47):
important thing. And to summarize all that we've talked about
on this idea of focusing on what you can control
and embracing the process, you know, we started with Kobe
and this Mamba mentality, right and I love the words
that he says where without studying, preparation and practice, you're
leaving the outcome to fate. I don't do fate right now.
(10:09):
The words of Marcus Aurelius, right. I love what he
says here when he talks about doing what's in front
of you with precise and genuine seriousness, And I think
that's speaking to all of the little things that add
up to something big, all of the mundane tasks that
seem so insignificant, taking them incredibly serious, focusing on them
(10:30):
like they are the most important thing in the world. Right.
And lastly, when it comes to my story, you know,
I can pinpoint the difference between the times that I
was putting in the work and slowing down and focusing
on greatness rather than validation, and those were the moments
where I saw the most growth personally and professionally. Again,
(10:52):
you have to slow down, you have to focus on
the process and treat everything that you're doing, everything that's
in front of you. Ment the smallest task as the
most important thing to you in the world. Focus on
what's in front of you, and you'll be able to
achieve all that you want in this life. Now, with
that said that, I also want to plug my book
real quick. I mentioned if you want to check that out,
(11:14):
just be dot NYC that's the website. Just be to NYC.
I appreciate the support in advance, and thank you so
much for checking out the Street Stoke Podcast. Do your
best to apply these concepts that we've discussed today, Incia,
everyday life, and I will catch you next time. The
Streetstoke Podcast is a production of Ihearts Michael Bura Podcast
(11:37):
Network
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