The Underdog

Are you an underdog?  Underdog in the sense of maybe you’re not always the one that ends up on top right away, however with a bit of hard work, you end up surpassing that “top” spot?  Underdog is a word that has come up a few times the past few days whether through conversations with friends or by watching a movie or special features of a movie.  Why is it that people tend to root for the underdog?  Why is it that the underdog always seems to end up more successful, happier, and with even more than the front runner?  I’m not complaining, though…because I’m definitely in that underdog category, and I look forward to the journey I have in store for me…Maybe that’s what it is. 

The underdog is the one that consistently works hard, never giving up, to fulfill his or her dream.  However, because it takes him longer and he has more obstacles, he also has more life lessons.  Through it all, instead of just staying focused on an end goal in sight, he accepts the present, uses it to his advantage, learns from it all, and enjoys the journey along the way.  So many people are concerned with success in terms of monetary and materialistic gains, they forget about what they could gather while on the road.  People cheer for the underdogs because no matter how many times they get tricked, fall face first in the mud, or come to a dead end, they always find a way to continue in their path.  It’s an inspiring tale, an ageless tale, a courageous one, and a flawless one.  There are no flaws in pursuing your own destiny, but it takes a copious amount of courage to give up everything you may know to follow the search of you are/who you are meant to be. 

I think of all I have done on my journey of life thus far and it sometimes astounds me.  I, for one, cannot believe how much I have done in only 26 years of life, and then I think of all I still have left to do and all I have left to see…and the people I have yet to meet!  It’s not about the trophies.  It’s not about making millions of dollars a year.  It’s not about owning a mansion, or going to the Caribbean every year, or wearing a designer suit.  It’s about the friends you’ve made.  It’s about the life lessons you’ve learned, the sights you’ve seen, the moments you were a part of, and the memories made.  It’s about living…living every millisecond, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year.  It’s about being who you are, flashing a smile, being generous, helping others, and being the positive energied soul that every human being has the capability of being.

People root for the underdog because the underdog sees these things.  Their success is being happy, and out of being successful in that way, everything else sort of falls into place.  Did you know that “The Lion King” was originally a project that no one wanted to be a part of?  It had all of the B-rate artists at Disney and was slighted because of the studio thinking “Pocahontas” was going to be a big hit.  Needless to say, this created a family within The Lion King group to prove that they had a special project.  They worked extra hard, were there for each other, and because of it – gained so much more AND created something truly special that they could be proud of.  Because of this collaborative effort and the bond that was formed from them being deemed as “less than,” their movie was ridiculously well received, broke box office records, and is still one of the best selling animated features of all time.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney