Kobe Bryant, aka "The Black Mamba," is a name you've probably heard before. Formerly number 24 for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA Champion, 2-time NBA finals MVP, 18-time NBA All-Star, and holder of numerous records such as the youngest player to score 33,000 points (passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and the oldest player to score over 60 points in one game, Kobe is one of the best examples of a prime athlete.

Currently, at 40 years of age, he is now retired and spending time with his family and traveling around the world inspiring young people to change the world. 40 is a pretty young age to retire, right? But for Kobe, not so much. He went straight from high school and was a first round NBA pick at the mere age of 18. From there, he played his entire 20-year career with the Lakers until finally retiring. When looking at all of his stats, records, and awards online, it looks incredible and almost impossible for a person starting at his age to have accomplished so much. In the end, it came down to his so called "Mamba Mentality" that helped him thrive then and helps him continue to thrive now.

The "Mamba Mentality" is simple. Your main focus is just about doing everything with a purpose and trying to better yourself every day. Sounds simple enough right? It's nothing special. You don't have to be an aspiring professional basketball player or athlete for that matter to apply this to your life. Having this mentality comes with the acceptance and realization that the word "failure" might not be exactly what you think it is. You may think of failure being when you don't win or achieve a goal. But that's actually not the case. There is actually no such thing as winning or losing. I think it's important to realize that we need to find that balance. We can't linger on "failure" and give up. On the other hand, we can't stop striving to improve just because we reached one of our goals. Once we say that we can't get any better, it's just as bad as giving up when times get tough. That right there is the true meaning of failure, the moment when we don't give ourselves the opportunity to improve.

To do this, we must stop letting our emotions get the best of us and instead approach situations more tactically. Instead of getting too excited over nailing that promotion or too stressed over a difficult test, think of the reasons why things did or didn't go the way you planned, and make a change. Taking the initiative to find the cause and effect and working to improve is one of the main keys to this mentality.

So next time when you do get that promotion, think to yourself, "Now how can I develop my leadership skills to really show that I deserve this promotion and make an impact on this company?" Then, do those things! Work on improving your communication skills! Make better connections with your fellow co-workers! Work to exemplify the person people hope to be.

For the times when you don't get the grade on your last midterm, think, "Why did I get such a bad grade? What made me so stressed out?" Take a breather, calm down, make a reality check, and change. Plan out your daily schedule better to fit in quality study time, time for office hours, and time for rest. It is all about taking the necessary steps to feel prepared and perform at your best. If next time you take an exam and it ends up the same way even after you've put in the time and effort, remember, it was not a true failure. You gave yourself the chance to do well, and it just didn't work out. Time to re-evaluate and start the process all over again. Putting 100% into preparation and 100% into application is all the "Mamba Mentality" is asking for.

"But are you a different animal and the same beast?"

This quote comes from the dialogue between Kobe and Kanye West in a pretty funny commercial for the launch of Nike's "KobeSystem" back in 2012. Although it was from years ago and the line was supposed to be a set-up for a joke, I think it actually applies to us all and the "Mamba Mentality" if you think about it. Although we all come from different places and all have different aspirations in life, making us different animals, by using this mentality, working hard, grinding every day, and continually reaching new heights, we all build that same ferocity and dangerous fire of the same beast.