I am a great believer in the underdog.
I think this stems from when I was a little kid. I was always a bit young for my grade and was physically smaller than the majority of my classmates. Being a little different isn’t always the easiest – I was the “smart kid” in school. As a result, I used to get bullied a lot. This caused me to really hate bullies, which is something that still holds true today. I remember as I got older and a little bit bigger and stronger, I’d see smaller kids being bullied and would frequently jump in to try and help the underdog. This has carried over into my adult life. I will still always try to stand up for anyone I see being bullied, whether in the workplace or in my everyday life.
I love rooting for the underdog in sports and in business. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a team that’s not expected to win surprise everyone…except, of course, when it’s one of my favorite sports teams. I also love the idea that there are young entrepreneurial companies that can disrupt big corporations. Sometimes companies can get complacent when they are an industry leader, and it’s inspiring to see younger entrepreneurs raising the bar.
I think a lot of people share this mindset, whether it’s driven by personal experience or something that impacted someone close to them. This is something that I suspect will stay with me for the remainder of my life. Go underdogs!
Photo Credit: New York Post