How Underdogs Win in Life

“One in a million is not zero.” -Mike Massimino

When Mike Massimino was six, he watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon — that day in 1969 sparked a boyhood passion in Mike that lasted his entire life.

His enthusiasm led him, against the odds, to serve as a NASA astronaut from 1996 to 2014.

Afraid of heights and unable to swim, he was not the ideal candidate to become an astronaut. During the selection process, he was medically disqualified for poor eyesight.

For most candidates, this would be the end of the story.

Massimino persisted.

He began doing eye exercises that he hoped would improve his vision. He pursued a Ph.D. in engineering at MIT, eventually landing a job as a research engineer at McDonell Douglas Aerospace in Houston. He moved into a neighborhood occupied by those working in the space program and became a part of that social circle.

He did everything he could imagine that might tip the odds in his favor.

He reflects on his journey and says,

“The one thing I felt like I could control was how hard I tried and not giving up,”

“I knew that if I gave up, I would always wonder what would have happened.”

Mike Massimino was rejected by NASA three times before finally being accepted in 1996. He saw those failures as temporary setbacks; failure over the long term wasn’t an option.

Mike served as an astronaut for eight years, flying into space twice. He was the first human to tweet from space and the last to work inside the Hubble Space Telescope. He had four spacewalks to make critical repairs to the telescope, and his team set a new record for the most spacewalk time.

Everyone has an underdog story. Like Mike Massimino, I’ve often felt like the underdog. As challenging as those times were, I appreciate them now for all the lessons they taught me.

Being the underdog, I discovered how sweet it is to win when others expect you to lose. And I realized that having others doubt you can be an advantage. An underdog mentality can take you far in life.

I’ve also found that it’s not a catastrophe if the world doubts you. The only disaster is when you don’t have confidence in yourself.

There can be no great courage without confidence or assurance, and half the battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake.

— Orison Swett Marden

Underdogs who beat the odds believe in themselves, even while surrounded by people who doubt them.

Self-confidence opens up possibilities within your mind and gives you the boldness and courage to take advantage of opportunities.

True self-confidence comes from preparation. During the hard work of preparation, you prove to yourself over and over again that you can win.

If the odds are stacked against you, ask yourself if you are well prepared. If the answer is no, roll up your sleeves; you have work to do, my friend.

Standing on the hard work of preparation, you will have a logical reason to believe you have what it takes to win.

An underdog must fall in love with the work of preparation. Every act of self-discipline will increase your belief in yourself and your abilities.

Remember the saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Another way to bolster your self-confidence is to review your past accomplishments. Audit your skills, talents, and personality traits that will help you succeed.

Look at past obstacles you have faced. Remember times in the past when you have struggled and persevered. Convince yourself that your past proves you have what it takes to overcome the odds.

Now, poke at the credibility of your distractors, those who see you as an underdog.

What are they missing about you or your situation? See how their limited perspective of the situation misleads them to doubt you. Prove them wrong using their ignorance as motivational fuel.

“I would have never stopped trying. To do this day, I would be submitting an application.”

-Mike Massimino

An underdog wins by staying alert for opportunities with perseverance and patience.

Patience is essential because things don’t always happen right away. If you lose focus or give up, you can’t be ready to execute when an opportunity arises.

Like Mike Massimino, the more things you try, the more opportunities you explore, the greater your probability of success. Being prepared and self-confident, you can capitalize on opportunities leading to success.

Yet, as an underdog, assuming you will win is a mistake. Yes, you are prepared to win, but the odds are stacked against you.

Become comfortable with the idea that things will not work out in the short term due to factors beyond your control.

Massimino did not think everything would all work out perfectly on the first try. Instead, he believed that if he kept trying, even if he didn’t succeed as he had intended, it would lead to a good outcome anyway.

Realize that when you are outnumbered and outgunned, you will lose a few battles before you win the war.

With this mindset, failure will not devastate you. And if things do work out, victory will be much sweeter.

You pave the way for long-term success by being ready to accept temporary failure.

And that brings us back to preparation and self-confidence because when the door of opportunity finally does open, you must be ready and able to walk through it.

As an underdog, you will likely have to suffer defeat and come back again and again until you finally win big.

Take lessons from every setback. Use those lessons as a springboard for future success. Every situation is favorable when viewed as a learning experience and an opportunity for growth.

Underdogs can and do win in life. It takes never-say-die grit, self-confidence, and a positive mindset to look for every small advantage that will eventually tip the odds in your favor.