Hi Dylan,
I was thinking today about something I once heard from Kobe Bryant. Not one of the usual quotes people repost — it was a small story he told in passing.
He said that early in his career, there was a night he played terribly. Missed shots, bad decisions, the whole thing. And instead of going home frustrated, he drove straight to the gym in the middle of the night. Not to “redeem” himself. Not to prove anything. Just to sit with the feeling.
He wanted to understand why the moment felt so heavy.
He said something like: “Pressure only grows when you run from it.”
And that hit me.
Because the next time the game got tight, he didn’t flinch.
He’d already met that feeling before, looked it in the eye, and learned not to fear it.
I think about that a lot.
Most people try to avoid pressure — pretend it’s not there, distract themselves, hope it goes away. But maybe the strength comes from doing the opposite:
Facing it.
Studying it.
Letting it teach you something.
Since hearing that story, I’ve tried to stop running from the moments that make me uncomfortable. I’m not perfect at it, but I notice that when I stop fighting the feeling, it loses its power.
Just wanted to share that with you today.
Maybe it reminds you that pressure doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re growing.
Talk soon,
Dylan
InvictusVoices