Be The Underdog

This article was originally published in September 2016.

I’ll take being the underdog every time.

No one expects anything from you if you are second, third, or even last in the beginning. The only thing you can do is exceed peoples’ expectations or they won’t even focus on you.

If you are first from the beginning, you can either stay where you are or drop. It’s a win or lose situation.

The only direction to go is up when you’re the underdog. There is always room for improvement.

Every competition, experience, or situation is a learning experience that will shape you into a better worker, athlete, or person. And even at that, underdogs are forced to work harder, find better way to do certain things, and generally think outside the box about problems.

It’s really a matter of trusting the journey. It’s not easy being the underdog. You’re going to be uncomfortable, stressed, and are going to question why you are doing things in the first place. That’s why you have to love the process. You’ll get to the destination eventually, but it takes time.

Overall though, I think there is something to be said about someone or a group who succeeds coming from the position of the underdog. People always remember climactic moments when an unranked team upsets a top team in any sport or when a person succeeds in the face of adversity.

Being the underdog, no one bats an eye if you lose. You were supposed to do that. If you win, it’s like the victory scene in a movie when Rocky wins the heavy-weight championship or when the guy finally gets the girl.

Be the underdog. Come out of nowhere. It will make your life story even better when you succeed.