May 5, 2015 - Written by: Yazmin Joy

Power to the Underdog: What Are You Made Of?

Don’t you love a good underdog movie? Dude, it’s one of my favourite types of story.

The underdog is the last person anyone expects to be successful. They are the least likely to win. They have all the odds stacked against them and yet… they overcome both internal and external barriers to achieve success. *Fist pump.*

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, who would have thought one small hobbit would have the capacity to take on the wrath of Sauron and destroy the ring?

(Image via)

In Legally Blonde, Elle doesn’t look, talk or behave like your typical Harvard law student but she ends up representing the client at the end of the film.

Peter Parker is a total social reject who even gets beaten up in the lunch room, but hello, he becomes Spiderman!!! (Okay, Spiderman isn’t necessarily an underdog movie – but Peter certainly starts off the underdog.)

How about the Rocky movies? Or The Karate Kid? Or Forrest Gump?

These stories inspire the hell out of me. Why? Because they often touch on a very important message about success and what it means to be a hero.

The strength of the underdog lies at the core of the character.

A good heart, courage and determination are all qualities we often find in the underdog.

Similar to the real world, we are all too often judged by outward appearances, social standing and rank. But the underdog story looks beyond appearances and locates the hero in their inward capability.

The message is clear: It’s not what the hero looks like, or what what the world perceives them to be that makes them kick-ass – it’s what they’re made of that determines their success.

(Image via)

I want to ask you: What are you made of?

What do you believe in? Where is your heart planted? Do your beliefs impact upon your decision making?

DON’T TELL ME. But think about it. Ponder it.

Knowing my core is one the greatest revelations I am learning to master. ‘What am I made of’ – is a question I ask myself daily. And I will probably never stop asking this question.

Can I handle the pressure? Do I possess the courage to go out of my comfort zone? Do I believe this is right and good for me?

It’s important. Why? Because your external is influenced by the internal. Knowing where you stand, when it comes to your beliefs and values helps you navigate your journey.

Your values and inner beliefs determine your actions. Actions lead to outcomes. Outcomes lead to results. But it all starts from your core.

The decisions you make in your life are made in relation to how you see the world and how you locate yourself in it.

(Image via)

What you produce in your life is a result of what you possess deep inside your core.

‘A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.’
Matthew 7:18

How many of us have actually taken the time to ponder this? How many of us regularly check-in with our hearts when we make decisions?

Some of us only know what we are made of when we are put to the test. When we step out of our comfort zone. Some of us only really know what we are made of when we are stripped of our material possessions and forced to get real and dig deep, because until now we’ve never had to.

(Image via)

You can not always choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you respond to it.

When model Katie Piper suffered an acid attack back in 2008, she thought her life was over. But she found a bedrock of courage, strength and determination amidst her pain and the rebuilding of her life.

Emmeline Pankhurst, Muhammed Ali and Martin Luther King were all real life underdogs of their time, but what they possessed deep in their core character was what led them to ignite change and shake up the world.

Each of these game changers had vision long before they came to pass. Each of them were led by their inner beliefs to instigate outward change.

‘What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson

There might be people reading this with big dreams in their heart. Big ambitions. Big vision. If that’s you, I want to encourage you to embrace the challenges that strip you down and expose your core.

Don’t be afraid to show the world what you’re made of.

Have a great week peeps!

If you enjoyed this post, why not check out ‘Are You Successful? 4 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself’?