Why Jordan and Brady Stopped Being Underdogs — and You Should Too

Ben BeeriWhat if I told you that Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and you have something in common? Something deep, something profound, something that you can take with you for a very long time, but eventually you have to put it down, look in the mirror, and acknowledge what's right in front of you, and take a step forward. Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school. He tried out for the varsity team. He loved basketball. He thought he was good at it. He knew he would be good at it. But he didn't make the varsity team.

They put him on junior varsity. The odds were stacked against Michael for who he wanted to be. Michael wanted to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Tom Brady was the one hundred and ninety ninth pick in the two thousand NFL draft. That means that there were 198 players that were considered a better fit than he was to have a long term sustainable NFL career. A 198 guys in the same year. Brady took that personally. He waited for his opportunity. And when the opportunity came, he took his step forward.

Take a look at yourself. Where in your life have you felt that somebody's counted you out, doubted you, thought you wouldn't make something of yourself, Thought that you wouldn't get to where you wanted to go in life. Thought that your step forward wasn't going to be significant. Where in your life does your step forward matter so much more than everybody else can even imagine it to be. That's your underdog story. That's Michael Jordan's underdog story, and that's Tom Brady's underdog story. Your underdog story is filled with passion.

It's filled with dreams. It's filled with hardships. It's filled with people not believing in you. It's filled with things that feel unfair. Like, this is not fair. Why is this happening to me? And we take that with us. You step into the identity of I am the underdog. I have to overcome this. The only way for me to overcome this is to assume the role of the underdog, to play from behind. You think that I'm not likely to do this. You don't think there is a chance. Well, guess what? I do. I'm going to prove to everyone that I can do this.

That's the identity of the underdog. The underdog will not take no for an answer. The underdog is going to make it happen. The underdog is the bird that's trying to fly, get up off the ground for the first time, and there's nothing that's gonna keep that bird down if the bird wants to fly. There's nothing that kept Tom Brady down. There's nothing that kept Michael Jordan down, and there's nothing that's keeping you down. And as you continue to progress in your underdog identity, you build evidence that you are capable of doing what you want to do in life, what you believe you are meant for, fulfilling your destiny, and proving the doubters wrong.

Michael Jordan went on to the University of North Carolina, was very successful there, got drafted by the Chicago Bulls, became one of the most prolific scorers the league had ever seen. Tom Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe in his second season and won a Super Bowl, and they picked up evidence that they belonged. They went from becoming the underdog, from being the underdog, from placing themselves in that role, or being placed in that role. Being the underdog comes from circumstances that are beyond your control.

You take on that identity, and then you prove. You prove that you belong. Michael Jordan belonged. Tom Brady, after he won that Super Bowl, belonged. And you belong. And as they kept building, Jordan won MVPs. He eventually won his first ring, followed by his second and his third. Tom Brady won another couple Super Bowls. And at this point in time, they more than belonged. They didn't just belong. Tom Brady was the man to beat. Michael Jordan was the man to beat. And being the man to beat may be the next identity that you need to take on.

Because being the man to beat is a much stronger place to play from. At a certain point in time, not only are you no longer an underdog, not only do you belong, you are so far ahead of it. You're the person to beat. And being the person to beat, that's a great place to play from. That's where you can say, I want to be the greatest. I want to make this happen. I want to have a significant impact on the world. You go and you do it. But the underdog that got Tom Brady to his first Super Bowl, the underdog mentality that got Jordan to his first championship, wasn't going to get them to the next step.

And the next step is where everything happens. Once you feel like you belong, you make things happen. Once you feel like you're more than just the person who belongs, now you're a force to be reckoned with. Like, if you're the person to beat, like if you're Michael Jordan in 1998, trying to win your sixth NBA championship, your second three peat, everyone's coming after you. They want to beat you. Michael Jordan is no longer an underdog. Tom Brady leaves New England after winning six Super Bowls for them, goes to Tampa Bay.

In his first season in Tampa Bay, he's playing in the Super Bowl. He brings Tampa Bay a Super Bowl. At that point, he's no longer an underdog. He's the man to beat. What's your story? Where are you the man to beat? What makes you the man to beat? Where did it start? What identity is it that you picked up along the way of being the underdog? Reflect on it. Take the time to understand why you were in a place where the odds were stacked against you. What was it building within you? Who did you need to become to prove to yourself that you belonged?

And when you prove to yourself that you belong, how can you keep going? Because once you belong, you can continue to operate from the underdog mentality and the underdog identity, but you're going to stay an underdog in your own mind. You'll stay at your one championship. You'll stay thinking to yourself that you've overcome the odds. Overcoming the odds? That already happened. It's in the past. Yes. It was hard. Like, really hard. Like, unlikely. That's why the odds were against you. But you did it.

You did it. You don't have to take it with you. Now, belong. Can you act from that place? Can you act from a place of belonging? And when you get to that place of belonging, start working towards becoming the person to beat. Because once you become the person to beat, that's when the fun happens. Like, that's when you get to fully express yourself. That's when you get to make the impact that you desire to make. That's when you get your seventh Super Bowl. That's when you get your second three peat.

That's when you get called the GOAT. The greatest of all time. And you've got to change your identity along the way. And changing that identity means you're no longer the underdog. People expect more from you. And people expect more from you because you've already done it. They've seen you do it. You've proven time and time again that when the big game comes, you show up. And when you know that you're the person that shows up in the big game, you're the person to beat. And when you're the person to beat, that's when something amazing can happen, and I hope that that's an identity that you can take with you.

What's your underdog story that you need to let go of, and how can you become the person to beat? Peace.