“What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished.” Kobe Bryant (NBA Shooting Guard)
The 2009 NBA Championship brought 2 formidable teams together. The LA Lakers from the West and the Orlando Magic from the East. Led by Phil Jackson, the Lakers had dominated their season and walked fairly easily into the Finals. Orlando was coached by Stan Van Gundy and were a scrappy team. After an overtime Game 2 of the Finals, the Lakers were up 2-0 against the Magic. The post-game press conference found Kobe to be a bit on edge, answering questions, but his demeanor looked somewhat agitated, almost as if he didn’t want to be there and wanted to get back on the practice court to prepare for Game 3.
When a sports analyst asked him about his apparent lack of elation following the Game 2 win, Kobe’s response was stunning.
The analyst asks him “Are you not happy? You’re up 2-0?”
Kobe: “What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished.” You can see the viral interaction here.
Kobe and the Lakers went on to win the NBA Finals that year 4 games to 1. Following the Championship game, NBA commissioner David Stern presented the Lakers with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and presented Kobe Bryant with the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy. During the 5-game series, Kobe averaged 32.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.
Happiness. An elusive emotion most times, yes? I mean, what makes you happy? For Kobe, it wasn’t winning a game, it was winning the series.
So, what do you put 2 feet on the ground every morning to accomplish? Making it to 5 o’clock so you can be done with your meaningless job that pays the bills but provides no purpose? I hope not. What series are you wanting to win? What milestone, while important, doesn’t bring you complete happiness because you know you’ve got a bigger goal to accomplish?
For those who’ve followed me for a while, you know I have completed many triathlons. Happiness was never derived from a random Tuesday’s early morning training ride, or an hour-long swim session in cold water, or a grueling run in the mid-summer heat. It was derived from crossing the finish line on race day. Each early morning training session was necessary to finally incur the feeling of joy, excitement, and happiness that came on race day.
At work, we crossed $100 million of Assets Under Management in 2017. For most firms, certainly something to be excited about. While we briefly paused to celebrate, we were quick to get back to work. “Job’s not finished.” We crossed $200 million in 2020 and $300 million in 2022. Certainly important milestones along the way, but our ultimate goal is to manage $1 billion in AUM. To be certain, this isn’t because we think that big number is cool or that it will somehow accomplish my personal ego trip. Rather, each dollar represents a stewardship opportunity. A client made $X, and spent $Z. $Y is the difference between what they earned and what they spent. They invested it for a bigger goal, a brighter future, a retirement where they could continue a life of meaning and impact on this world. And they trusted us to do so. When (not if) we cross a billion dollars of stewardship opportunity, I’ll be happy. For now, job’s not finished. For now, there’s a sea of potential clients that are woefully unprepared to enter the investment world. And our firm stands ready to help.
What about you? What job isn’t finished in your life? What are you building? What are you putting effort into each and every day to accomplish. What, when finished, will give you the fulfillment of joy, excitement and happiness of a job well done? Sure, we should each step back and enjoy the milestone wins along the way. But don’t let that crowd out the happiness of winning the series.
Wake up. Smile. Put 2 feet on the ground to accomplish something great. Lay the next brick. Bring order to the chaos. Celebrate the wins.
And, look forward to a future that’s bigger than your past.
Live fully for today. Live in expectation for tomorrow. Prepare for the journey.
Job’s not done.
