CONCLUSION

ON BECOMING AN UNDERDOG BY DESIGN

Part of the myth in popular culture is that underdogs “show up” fully formed. They seem to appear out of thin air, having already overcome their trauma and prepared to compete, win, and be celebrated as heroes. We can agree that this would be an ideal scenario. Unfortunately, outside of tidy ninety-minute movie scripts, overcoming personal adversity and being fully prepared to make our mark in the world is a little more complicated than that.

On the surface, the underdog construct seems ubiquitous and well understood. However, there are many misconceptions today about what it means to consider oneself an underdog. The associated misunderstandings have established a confusing and meaningless set of conditions to interpret or ascribe to, none of which are helpful for those who want to consider themselves an underdog. And for the disadvantaged, transforming themselves from former victims into a capable, well-adjusted credible contender is a worthy endeavor to aspire to.

Therefore, underdogs are left with two competing options. We can attempt to adapt to the current social headwinds, ideas, misconceptions, and poor definitions to do our best to play a game created for the disadvantaged by the privileged. Or, alternatively, we can choose to evolve the dynamic underdog framework to work for us and our individual needs. Essentially, we can be content to operate within the existing structure or decide to create our own—one where we fully understand the stakes and establish our own rules, making them practical, useful, and able to meet us where we are in our personal recovery.

In the existing model, there are voices among the more privileged, especially in American society, who publicly suggest there are desirable advantages that come from having endured struggle. They cavalierly refer to this mysterious set of resulting advantages as the “silver lining” of conquering disadvantage, proclaiming its desirability, as if to suggest underdogs should be grateful for these illusory benefits resulting from their trauma.

In this same camp are those who would unscrupulously conflate their superficial tales of adversity with authentic stories of disadvantage. This practice has become increasingly common, partly due to society accepting these specious narratives at face value. But underdogs bare some of the responsibility, too, by demonstrating an unwillingness to be vulnerable and share their personal stories. We are left with an unusual social landscape where a low supply of genuine stories, combined with the simultaneous saturation of mock tales, works to crowd out authentic underdog narratives. It’s time for underdogs to stop acting with doubt and apprehension and reclaim their rightful place in the social narrative.

My hope is that highlighting the unfortunate behaviors of others will be viewed as a call to action, not an attempt to blame or shame former victims. In fact, while understanding these attitudes and misguided actions is contextually useful, the underlying goal is always to focus on our own personal support, development, and growth.

Early in the book we introduced the idea of how potential underdog supporters fit into two broad categories—antagonists or advocates. It would be easy to focus on the naysayers or negative people with whom we interact, even when we have a choice. We can choose to partner with the world, seeking advocates for our mutual benefit, or waste time engaging with antagonists. Peter Thiel points out that if we view the world as if it’s full of adversaries, we constantly feel like we’re battling “dark forces.” 77 None of us want to feel like we’re fighting enemies on any new fronts. Most of us have enough to deal with as it is without adding any new difficulty or drama. In the end, focusing on perceived foes is unhealthy and a useless distraction, which sets us up for failure over the long term.

One of the hardest things to appreciate is that overcoming our own trauma or disadvantage is not about viewing the development process as a struggle pitting you against the world. It’s as simple as shifting your mentality to consider that you’re competing with a better, healthier, and more healed and capable version of yourself.

Underdogs don’t need to prove others wrong so much as they really just need to prove themselves right.

Instead of accepting the current and outdated underdog premise and adapting to the existing environment, we have an opportunity to engage in a far more transformative process. A bold personal evolution like this will require that we understand the current social landscape, how it has become structured to limit opportunity for the disadvantaged, and how we operate within it. We need to recognize the internal work required to update our mentality and mitigate the internal mistakes many of us make. Once these first two areas are sufficiently integrated into our lives, then we can begin to focus on deploying the external instruments which can help us stand out and make life-changing progress.

The transformation underdogs desperately need is what I refer to as becoming an Underdog By Design or UBD. This may be the first time this idea has been specifi cally introduced to you, but don’t worry, you’ve already been exposed to all the requisite parts and pieces throughout the book. The UBD model is the culmination of everything you’ve learned throughout the book so far. The framework is broken down across the three successive parts of the book, including the Underdog Evolution, Underdog Curve, and Underdog Economy, as seen in the Underdog Evolution Flywheel in illustration C1:

In part 1 we focused on evolving our understanding of the underdog infrastructure in the existing environment. We built a new underdog definition, clarified the differences between circumstance and disadvantage, and outlined how underdogs stand out and distinguish themselves from those around them. Along the way there were some new ideas and tools introduced to help us as well.

In part II, we covered the internal areas where underdogs get hung up. We walked through the value of shifting our mental models, discussed the perils of living with volatility, and outlined the opportunity for renewal that exists at the sharp end of a single decision within all of us.

Finally, in part III, we related a comprehensive new approach to our personal and professional engagement with others. We examined how to craft the practical private and public stories using the Underdog Story Blueprint, considered how to use vulnerability to build new and lasting relationships, and introduced some new and counterintuitive approaches to standing out and getting noticed as an underdog.

I’ve done my best to introduce and lay out each of the nine topics in a way that makes sense and builds on itself throughout the book. I encourage you to revisit the corresponding sections as you begin working on each respective area of your life. The goal is to help you intentionally construct a new underdog identity to become an Underdog By Design.

Adopting a new identity is no small achievement. This enhanced version of you should be one that has complete appreciation for your true potential—one that works with authenticity to step outside the interpretation or expectation of others and adopts a new definition for what it means to become an empowered, knowledgeable, and prepared underdog on your own terms. A more completely developed competitor with all the perspective, optimism, and confidence that comes from knowing how to really put your experiences to work for you. It is my deepest hope that you decide to become a credible contender, someone who recognizes their limitless potential and the unique performance only you can bring to the world.

But the evolutionary process of becoming the type of credible contender we just outlined won’t happen by accident. Unfortunately, it also won’t happen simply because you read this book. It will require some additional focused effort on your part. Without a doubt, you now have all the ideas, frameworks, and practical tools any underdog could ever need. Having access to and understanding of the methodologies is one thing, but executing on them is where most people get hung up. Successful implementation in our lives is where we so frequently get sidetracked or freeze up.

Executing on what you now know is going to take some intentionality, practice, and patience on your part. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” But take heart; you know what must be done. The solution is to invest the necessary time to proactively work on your personal development.

As you begin this ongoing journey, you may find that you need some additional support or even some accountability. That’s normal and expected; in case you missed the point earlier, we all need help from time to time. None of us can make it on our own. When you’re ready, feel free to reach out and engage with us at UnderdogCurve.com. I’m standing by, ready to be an advocate for you. Until then, I look forward to bumping into you on the Underdog Curve.

It’s your time to be the underdog! —GP

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