Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue, you will change.
– Kobe Bryant

Wrecked. Devastated. Heartbroken. My heart is still very heavy.

Kobe is my hero. He was one of the reasons I fell in love with basketball, and basketball is the first true bond I have with my dad. If you knew me growing up, I would go through lengths to defend my team. I even put my love for the sport on pause when he retired just because the game ain’t the same without him.

His bond with his daughter Gigi resonated with me so much bc I, too, followed my dad’s footsteps & he’s taught me everything I know about being a structural engineer (and still does). Just imagining not having that with my dad devastates me. And knowing that he died doing what he loved the most, being a dad, is just the ultimate image of love and purpose.

In many ways, the Mamba Mentality is something I carry with me everywhere. He’s the beacon of what it means to outwork the saturation of talent by doing MORE.

He’s taught me too always be a student of my own craft
To get in the trenches early
To not waste a moment
To not take blessings for granted
To show up 100% in the midst of obstacles
To rest at the end, not the middle

When the news broke, I wanted it to be a joke so bad because I didn’t want to accept this reality that not only have we been robbed of a legend, but a young girl robbed of a bright future, Vanessa & his 3 daughters lives are shattered without a husband, father, daughter & sister.

I was in a middle of something that needed my complete attention, but in that moment, I blacked out and stepped out to pull myself back together. The world literally stopped yesterday.

BUT HONESTLY?

Kobe wouldn’t want us to stop the world for him. We can cry now, celebrate & remember how he’s impacted us, but he would want us to KEEP THE WORLD TURNING: to shake the feelings off and put our focus back to being great at whatever it is we are doing.

Life is short and this should be a reminder for us that it’s not about the length of life, but the DEPTH of life.

Maybe it’s time to evaluate your life and ask yourself what kind of impact you want to make on others.

Because all these shallow things that we’re chasing~money, likes, followers, clout, fame, material things to flex…
THEY DON’T MATTER!

It’s time to make every second count and make sure we don’t leave things unsaid or unresolved with people that we love and care about the most.

Life isn’t fair, so how would you navigate it NOW for the people you leave behind? What would be your legacy?

My prayers and love go to the Bryants and the rest who lost their families during the crash.

Rest, Bean and Gigi