Kobe Bryant's obsessive nature, Ray Dalio on being a shaper, and ways to make a million dollars

Welcome back to the Z Fellows newsletter! Every Monday we share 3 ideas - to help you build companies, ship products, and create your life's work.

1: Kobe Bryant’s obsessive nature

“On March 19, 1999, (Allen) Iverson put 41 points and 10 assists on me in Philadelphia.

Working harder wasn’t enough. I had to study this man maniacally.

I obsessively read every article and book I could find about Iverson. I obsessively watched every game he had played, going back to the IUPU All-American Game. I obsessively studied his every success, and his every struggle. I obsessively searched for any weakness I could find.

On Feb 20, 2000, in Philadelphia, Phil Jackson (coach) gave me the assignment of guarding Allen Iverson at the start of the second half. No one knew how much this challenge meant to me.

I wanted him to feel the frustration I felt.

When I started guarding Iverson, he had 16 at the half. He finished the game with 16. Revenge was sweet.

But I wasn’t satisfied after the win. I was annoyed that he had made me feel that way in the first place.

I swore, from that point on, to approach every matchup as a matter of life and death. No one was going to have that kind of control over my focus ever again.

I will choose who I want to target and lock in. I will choose whether or not your goals for the upcoming season compromise where I want to be in 20 years.

If they don’t, happy hunting to you. But if they do….

I will hunt you obsessively. It’s only natural.”

~ Kobe Bryant

Source: Obsession is Natural by Kobe Bryant

2: Ray Dalio on being a shaper

“Shapers are people who can go from visualization to actualization.

I use the word to mean someone who comes up with unique and valuable visions and builds them out beautifully, typically over the doubts of others. Shapers get both the big picture and the details right.

To me, it seems that Shaper = Visionary + Practical Thinker + Determined.

I've found that shapers tend to share attributes such as:

• intense curiosity and a compulsive need to make sense of things,

• independent thinking that verges on rebelliousness,

• a need to dream big and unconventionally,

• a practicality and determination to push through all obstacles to achieve their goals, and

• a knowledge of their own and others' weaknesses and strengths so they can orchestrate teams to achieve them.

Perhaps even more importantly, they can hold conflicting thoughts simultaneously and look at them from different angles.

They typically love to knock things around with other really smart people and can easily navigate back and forth between the big picture and the granular details, counting both as equally important.”

Source: Shapers are people who can go from visualization to actualization by Ray Dalio

3: Ways to make a million dollars

Best of The Week

See you next Monday,

- The Z Fellows Team

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