Kobe Took Breaks Too!

Hey friends,

Sorry team, we had construction going on outside my parent’s home and I didn’t have WiFi last night to write and share this.

I had a call last night with a fellow entrepreneur friend who was struggling to take a break from work. He mentioned that he always ‘feels bad’ for taking a break or taking some personal time off because it would mean that he isn’t working on his startup. This guilt is real and it affects all entrepreneurs, so, today I wanted to write a short note about how to think about it and why taking a break is actually necessary.

Let me explain using the legend Kobe Bryant, again. We all know about his ‘Mamba Mentality’, and when you read that, what probably comes to mind is: never stopping, always be pushing, sweating, putting in the work, training, outlasting the competition, etc. All of these are great, but somehow, given the fast-paced nature of our lives and careers, we always think Mamba Mentality means exhausting ourselves. What we forget is that even though Kobe was in the gym sweating at 4 a.m., he also gave his body, and mind, the needed rest so he could achieve greatness in the long-run; tough workouts came hand-in-hand with stretching sessions, long cardio activities were done in parallel with ice baths, and time spent training with the team was balanced with time spent with his wife, daughters, and friends. When he meant Mamba Mentality, that means in all aspects, not just aspects where you sweat and exert.

So, as you start your week working on a new project at work, or continue working on your startup, never feel bad about hanging the gloves and giving the machine, your body and mind, rest. Rest for it to re-energize, rest for it to think, rest for it to find comfort with friends and family, and finally, rest for it to win another day.

Hope this short note helps you pause and helps you win the long game. All the best!

Sherjan