"Because I saw you come in." A Master Class by Kobe Bryant

"I always tried to outwork people. That's just how I made my mark," former NBA player and Duke standout Jason Williams said during a recent interview. He also shared the story of how he once prepped for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers when the team's lineup consisted of none other than Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

"This is the championship Lakers. I'm going to get there at 3:00 (in the morning). I want to make sure I make 400 made shots before I go back into the room and sit in the sauna." Apparently, Williams wasn't the only one with that idea. As he walked into the stadium he saw Kobe Bryant already working out.

"I worked out for a good hour, hour and half," Williams said. "When I came off after I was done I sat down and of course I still hear the ball bouncing." Williams was floored Bryant was still working out, especially since he was already in a dead sweat when Williams arrived. 

He decides to unlace his shoes and watch Bryant not only from a strategic standpoint but out of curiosity to see how long the former MVP planned on continuing his rigorous workout. "Another 25 minutes and he got done," Williams recalls. "I think I've seen enough," he remembers saying to himself. That evening Bryant scored 40 points. 

After the game Williams asked Bryant about his famous work ethic so he could understand why Bryant put so much effort in improving his craft. "Hey Kobe, why were you in the gym for so long?" he asked. Bryant looked at him and said, "Because I saw you come in. I wanted you to know it doesn't matter how hard you work. I'm willing to work harder than you. You inspire me to be better."

Williams walked away thinking, "I need to start doing more."  

How Your Hustle Can Hurt You

Today, there is a prevailing theme of “hustle” being promoted in our culture. Social media is flooded with words like “grind,” and “crushing it.” As a young drama student, I’d arrive at the theater each morning at 5:30 am. For 10 blocks I’d pound my chest with clenched fists roaring, “Come on! You either want it or you don’t!” I was convinced with my dogged determination and work ethic it would only be a matter of time before I took Broadway by storm. And though there’s no substitute for a focused commitment towards our goals, I soon learned if we’re not clear on what we’re working to achieve, all the hustle in the world won’t mean a thing.

The trouble is, the grind is alluring. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction you get from plopping down on the couch after a long day knowing you gave it everything you had. For years, nothing gave me greater joy than being the first to sign my name on the check-in sheet at Shapiro Theater. I made certain my name was written in big easy to read letters. I’d stake my claim before tiptoeing past a sleeping guard to avoid an argument, of which there were many. “Why do you need to be here so early?!” they’d ask. “I have work to do,” I’d say. But years later I overlooked the need to take personal inventory, making sure what I was working towards was still aligned with my core beliefs. I spent years bulldozing my way to a dream I once had in the hopes my old values would somehow be resuscitated back to life. I kept hustling because I was too scared to admit I no longer knew what I wanted.

A good hustle is admirable but it doesn’t always guarantee success. Like acting, entrepreneurship is such a fiercely competitive world if your vision and sense of purpose doesn’t have chest thumping clarity your grind won’t be sustainable. Over the years, I appeared on major television shows, booked commercials, performed in big regional theaters, and acted with theater gods as a Broadway casting reader. I was slowly making progress but I’d also lost a little bounce in my step. I longed for my school days and the sense of purpose I felt while training on the 16th floor of Riverside Church. And like that view of the Hudson, my dreams felt within reach but yet so far away.

By the time I’d hit my mid-30s something wasn’t sitting right. I could no longer just bury myself in the day-to-day grind and deny I’d lost my “why,” and perhaps a little of myself along the way. I was pushing really hard on a door that read, “Pull” to get into a building I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be in anymore. My goals had changed because I had. My heart somehow knew it was being duped.

In my 12-year journey as an actor I discovered there are many rewards awaiting those who hustle, but clarity of purpose is not one of them. Blindly applying brute force may move you forward, but what good is it if you don’t know where you are, or why you’re there? Your vision must precede the grind. No amount of discipline or work ethic will persist unless your “why” stirs the ”how.”

But how does one quietly follow their “why,” while navigating through the deafening culture of hustle? First, you can choose to “flow” rather than “muscle” your way to the top. Consider a stream racing through a valley and how it never flattens the boulder in its way. Instead, it moves seamlessly above, around, or below its obstacle while still reaching its destination. There is still great momentum and effort being expended but in a way that incorporates that resistance as an integral part of the journey.

Second, the act of striving should be intentional. We can be fiercely honest with ourselves having the courage to question why we do what we do. With clarity comes an awakening to our potential and our actions have a remarkable way of organizing around our defined purpose.

Finally, “the hustle” can be inclusive. Instead of looking at people as problems we can look at them as opportunities to build community. The most fulfilling part of working towards any meaningful endeavor is through the transformational relationships we forge. When we lift each other up rather than leave them behind, attainment of our goals becomes about creating impact instead of self-importance.

So grind away my friends. Wake up at that ungodly hour, bid happy hour farewell, and tell Frank Underwood he’ll have to wait. You’ve got work to do. Just make sure you’re pushing on a door to get into the right building.

Add a Little Bit of This...

If you find that the way you spend your time lacks challenge, growth, and creativity you may need to reevaluate, or even redefine what is you want for yourself. Your “why” will be your North Star, particularly when challenges present themselves.  

Your reason for doing what you do must be compelling and specific. Once it has been revealed it will prove indispensable. When your “why” and behavior are aligned then you’re really cooking. Add an unyielding work ethic and there is little out of reach. 

Bring It

Years ago when I was in theater school there was a kid I admired a couple years above me. He had a great work ethic and was a fully committed student and actor. On more than one occasion I'd ask him for advice about a project I was working on and how to best navigate through the challenges of school.

A few weeks into his final year he was the lead in his class's thesis project. I couldn't believe the production value and the extraordinary work he'd put into his character. As a result, my heart sank when I sat in that virtually empty theater. It seemed no one had gotten the memo on great the play was.

I asked him afterwards how he coped with putting so much effort into something only to see an empty house.

"You just have to bring it like it's packed," he said without hesitation. "You always do your best."

This advice would serve me as I got older. Like many people, I found myself getting hung up on numbers. How many people came to a play, the number of people who watched a particular program I might have been on, and on and on. For some reason, I thought quantity meant value.

The truth is you have to dig deep within and trust that YOUR belief in your message will be enough. If there are hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions who end up reading your message and being influenced that's an amazing byproduct, but not the end goal.

Focus on giving value first. And no matter the audience, take a note from the Ancient Greeks who believed their words held up the pillars of the universe when they were on stage. If they did not speak with enough vigor, conviction, and passion the foundation would fall and the universe would collapse. 

No matter where you are remember to bring it.