Underdogs are not supposed to win.
After all, their expected position in life is suggested in the name itself: underdog. Yet in 2018 an unlikely team ends up on top with an unlikely quarterback at the helm. The Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl success story seems to be one for the ages. Or is it?
What if I told you that you could achieve the same kind of underdog victories in your own life? That you – a possible underdog – are also capable of overcoming your own seemingly impossible odds, be it professional, relational, financial, physical, or spiritual? Following these 3 keys has helped Nick and countless other successful underdogs, and I’m sure will help us as well:
If everyone has counted you out, you count yourself in by being good – really good.
First, be competent. At a basic level, knowing how to do things and do them well is very critical to your success as an underdog. If everyone has counted you out, you count yourself in by being good – really good. When the odds are not in your favor, there’s no substitute for a personal commitment to excellence to get you in the game.
Nick knew that. To fathom a victory over a Tom Brady as a backup quarterback required no less than his best. So he practiced. He studied. He kept improving, getting better. And now he has a Super Bowl ring and MVP title to show for it.
What are your competencies? What are you doing to be better every day? What are you reading/learning? How are you practicing? Competent people are always seeking to answer these questions. Continuous self-improvement is the name of the game for developing top-notch competency.
Secondly, be consistent. As crucial as it is to be good at what you do, your inability to be consistent will quickly overshadow your competency. I’ll take a consistent hard worker over a sporadic phenomenon anyday. Nick Foles married his competency with consistency in last night’s game, and it built a cadence – a flow, a rhythm – that carried him and the Eagles to a 41-33 victory over the Patriots. It was indeed fun and exciting to watch.
Your consistency increases your likelihood for your shining moment.
You can experience this same kind of cadence when you are consistent in these three areas: 1 – Your attitude. This does not mean the absence of your emotions, but disciplining yourself to not allow them to derail the work you still need to get done. Another term for this is having good temperament. 2 – Your abilities. Give 100% every time regardless of context. Give your best presentation to 3 people as you would 300 or 3,000. Have integrity with your talent and seize every opportunity to communicate your worth. 3. Your attendance. “80% of life is showing up” once quipped Woody Allen. There are many great names we know now just because they were the next available person. As a backup to an injured Carson Wentz, Nick Foles was handed the chance of a lifetime. Your consistency increases your likelihood for your shining moment.
Lastly, be content. Contentment is not so much the absence of competition as it is the presence of confidence – in your path. To not be discouraged or distracted by others’ success in their paths, and to process your failures properly, contentment is vital. It is the glue that holds your journey together as you progress to your underdog victory.
Three years before his Super Bowl appearance, frustrated with his path in the NFL, Nick once considered retiring and pursuing pastoring. He had had enough. However, it was during that low 8-month period that he made peace with his path and decided to give the NFL another shot. How did he do it? I’m glad you asked. He had encouraging elements (for him, it was his faith, his family, and his former coaches) that helped him decide not to hang up his jersey just yet.
And Philadelphia’s pretty glad about it.
Are you content with the path you have chosen? If not, what are your encouraging elements to guide you to confidence in the right path where you can consistently exercise your competencies? Your success needs you to be sure.
Be competent. Be consistent. Be content. You do these, and who knows? We may be reading your underdog success story soon enough.
