Who Wins?: The Best in Class Versus The Underdog

Working toward your goals is common in life, as goals are are one of the things that keep us dreaming each night. There are plenty of success stories about people who achieved their dreams. While none of these stories are exactly the same, success tends to have similar elements.

 Looking at those who have achieved, we try to figure out how they got to where they are. We want to know what made them successful so we can try their method for ourselves.

 Let’s take a look at the generic main characters of these success stories.

 The Natural Talent: This person has always been good, and they’ve only gotten better. They spend a lot of time working on their craft, and they seem determined to do a good job. They accept a challenge, even if they’re nervous. They genuinely enjoy their craft and dedicate time to it. Success seems inevitable.

 The Sudden Star: Everyone thinks this person “suddenly became talented,” but it wasn’t sudden. People didn’t notice that this person was training all along. The sudden star often practices alone. They tend to interact with different circles of people, too, and explore different elements of their craft to find a niche. They work on refining their style and frequently research their craft. After a lot of practicing, the change becomes more noticeable to people around this person.

 The Underdog: This person seems to lack talent, or has a style not accepted by the general public. They keep working at what makes them happy, always looking to express themselves first. This person works hard to improve. One day, this person achieves what most people thought would not be possible for them, or in rare cases, would not be possible for anybody. When they finally gain recognition, their success creates a great push that breaks walls of critical doubts.

 What do these generic characters have in common?

 Persistence: These are people who continually work on their craft and seek improvement.

Care: There is a genuine interest in the craft. These people typically are invested in helping the craft develop, especially across a greater community.

Enjoyment: They find joy in their craft. They do what they love.

Self: These people may care for others, but are focused on the “self.” They work to make themselves happy, set their own standards, and are often proactive in their goal chasing.

Present: This person may have an end goal in mind, but they place more emphasis on their current actions. They use what they have right now to get them a step closer to where they would like to be.

 So, which character wins?

 Well-known and respected people are seen as “successful.”  A number of people associate being “successful” with “winning”—however, simply accomplishing a goal is a win. There may not be a direct pattern in achieving success, but some things are the same. You can work on networking, and surround yourself with the correct tools, environment, and people required to achieve goals.

 So, who “wins” between the Best in Class and the Underdog? The answer is both. More specifically, it’s anyone who shares the commonalities of the generic characters listed earlier. Success is more likely if you possess aspects of those mindsets. Fortunately, those mindsets can be learned and developed. They do not guarantee any specific outcome, but they will help you achieve your goal in some capacity.

 Go for it—begin your journey.