I love Kobe Bryant. To me, he embodies the quintessence of what every sportsman (and professional) should aspire to achieve: consistency, role-model behavior to teammates, a maniacal approach to self-development, and the ability to make an impact at a later stage of his career (way more challenging as you get older).
It didn’t surprise me when he became an entrepreneur. The more you receive, the more you should want to give back—or at least, that’s how it ought to be.
I was watching an interview with him last night. The interviewer asked him, “What kind of employees are you looking for in your company?“
He replied, “I’m not looking for people who tell me, ‘I can do it.’ I am looking for those who tell me, ‘I don’t know if I can do it.‘”
I really like that quote, and I guess it’s a principle that I’ve applied to most of the significant accomplishments in my life.
Closing 500 miles of walk with a backpack on my shoulders in 20 days for a friend’s wedding?
“I don’t know if I can do it“
Running a marathon in the heat of August in Cambodia, just three months after seriously injuring my left knee?
“I don’t know if I can do it“
Leaving my country and graduating from Harvard Law despite the immense stress, the fear of the unknown, and the expectations people had of me regarding my present and future path?
“I don’t know if I can do it“
And unfortunately, or perhaps fortuitously, that feeling becomes addictive, especially when the results reward your audacity—or recklessness.
So here we are again. Launching a consultancy, carving out a path from scratch, and trying to change the legal world for the better?
“I don’t know if I can do it“
But that mixture of fear, excitement, passion, and uncertainty is what wakes me up every day.
And my life would not be the same without it.
