Kobe Bryant’s message to his daughters is something everyone can learn from

Kobe Bryant gave an emotional speech after watching both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys raised to the rafters at halftime during the Lakers vs. Warriors matchup Monday night.

During his speech, Kobe dropped a bit of knowledge that anyone who isn’t an amazing athlete or Hall of Fame basketball player can relate to. In a public message to his daughters he said: “If you do the work, if you work hard enough, dreams come true.”

“Lastly our daughters, Natalia, Bianca and Gianna. You guys know that if you do the work, you work hard enough, dreams come true. You know that, we all know that. But hopefully what you get from tonight is that those times when you get up early and you work hard; those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when don’t feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will. (Points to the rafters). And if you guys can understand that, then I’m doing my job as a father.”

Not too long ago, I started working out with two friends: one who recently became a model for several brands and another who went from homeless in high school to becoming a personal trainer and potential overseas pro basketball player. They both watch motivational videos in the morning, and both have overcome ridiculous levels of adversity to achieve the levels of success they’ve found in their mid-20s.

And both of them gave me a key to life that I hadn’t had in the past: Successful people do what they have to, whether they feel like it or not.

I started hitting the gym four to five days a week, sometimes twice a day, with them for over a month. I started running two miles, then three miles, then four miles, then incline sprints. I started doing five pull-ups, then seven, then nine, then 15. And I dropped down about 10 pounds while bulking up in muscle and definition.

You see, it really is that cut and dry. In the words of successful entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuk, it’s binary. You do the work or you don’t.

Bryant did the work. He woke up at 4 a.m. every morning — STILL DOES TO THIS DAY — to work out before everyone else. He played through injury. He gave his craft all of his mind, body, and soul. Now? He has two jersey numbers hanging in Staples Center for the rest of eternity.

And in a public message to his three daughters, the Bean dropped a gem on the audience, and I pray you take it as I did. Successful people push through adversity, push through fatigue, and push through the I don’t wanna. They do it anyway. And something far greater than their dreams happen as a result.

As New York rapper Casanova would say, “I hope that don’t go over y’all heads.”