Kobe, Gone Too Soon

It’s a week later and I think we’re all still hoping & waiting to wake up from this horrible nightmare. Kobe Bryant seemed invincible. He was going to live forever. So when the news started to break on Sunday, my first thought was that someone got hacked. But that wish was not to be granted. By the time we got to Disney on Ice, it was confirmed. Kobe Bryant had died.

First thing most people will say about Kobe is how he was a legend on the court. Undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time. Who could forget when he tore his achilles and still got up to make two free throws before leaving the game. Or, my favorite, how Shaq asked him for 50 on his last night and he gave him 60. The highlights always give me chills: Kobe’s Final NBA Game. You could not deny his talent, determination or drive.

So when he stepped away from the game, a lot of people wondered what he would do next. So he won an Oscar with his short, Dear Basketball. Kobe was an amazing storyteller. But what I’ve heard the most that sticks with me is how much he wanted to catch up on that family time. He wanted to be a husband & dad to the fullest; even had two more girls! And also how often he would reach out to others to encourage & motivate them to continue getting better at what they do. Who knows how many different things he was working on. All I know is that the world is a little less bright without his light.

I don’t aspire to have the influence Kobe had on the world but I share the common goal of leaving this world a better place than when I entered it. In reflecting on Kobe’s life, what I takeaway from it is that if you want something, you gotta put in the work. There’s no substitution for that. For me, this money blog is here to help keep us on the same page with our financial life while teaching you a thing or two along the way. Of course that comes second to being there for our family, the way Kobe was. But beyond that, if I can help one person learn & understand something money-related so that it’s not scary or confusing for them; and then a second, a third & so on so. That’s what would give me that sense of fulfillment & purpose – a life well lived.