Afew weeks before his tragic death, Kobe Bryant got a note from a reporter at ESPN. She was working on a story about a moment in Lakers history and she wanted to feature Kobe in it. It’s one of those requests that public figures get all the time. It’s part of their job—in fact, it’s one of the things that attracted them to the job in the first place. To be in the news, to have people want to hear their opinion, to grow their brand. Kobe replied: “Can’t right now. My girls are keeping me busy. Hit me up in a couple of weeks.”
Do you have the discipline to send a message like that? How strong are you at putting your family first? How good are your defenses against the endless requests, opportunities, impositions, and obligations that come with your work in particular and with life in general? It’s so easy to let people steal your time, to let them take you away from the thing that is keeping you busy: your kids, your family.
Kobe Bryant, tragically, will not get any more time with his kids, and they will not get any more time with him. Which is what makes that text he sent such a powerful reminder—a final feat of performance left there to inspire those of us continuing in the shadow of his death.
Put your family first. Put your kids first. Say that you’re too busy. Politely decline. You have other priorities.