In 2011, Lehigh University stunned the fans when they, the underdog team, beat Duke, the predicted winner. According to ESPN there were over 6 million brackets filled out that year and not a single one picked Lehigh to win. So many statisticians and prognosticators babbled nonstop about who the best player was or the best coach and who was ultimately going to win. But they completely missed on so many levels!
For example, did ESPN flash Norfolk State's Kyle O'Quinn up on some list as an exceptional player? Absolutely not. Nor did any of the other geniuses in the basketball world. Why? Because Kyle O'Quinn was not offered a scholarship by anyone other than his current coach. When this kid was interviewed he said, "I have no idea where I would be if Coach Evans had not thought I had the ability to play for him."
It only takes one person to believe in us. Kyle had Coach Evans, a man who looked at this young player and saw value and potential.
And what about Lehigh… do you think there is a single player on the Lehigh team whom Duke recruited? Probably not, and still, Lehigh beat the number two-seeded team like a red-headed step child. I would be willing to bet that Duke's shoe budget is more than Lehigh's entire basketball budget! Just goes to show, sometimes the team without all the advantages of a big budget school can surprise everyone.
What if the Lehigh team members had listened to all the people betting against them. What if they, too, believed that negative inner voice saying, "We can't beat Duke. Those guys are bad to the bone. They are past National Champions. The basketball gods bless them every single day. They eat teams like us for an afternoon snack." If that were the case, Lehigh should have just dropped Duke a note in the mail and said, "We thank you for the kind invitation to play you in the NCAA Tournament, but we regret to inform you that we will be unable to attend the big dance; our party dresses have not arrived. Therefore, please send us our check; just give yourself that W for a win, and best of luck to you in all your future endeavors." Wouldn't that seem like the sensible thing to do if you had been Lehigh? And in so doing, that little voice would have convinced Lehigh they weren't good enough to be on the same court with Duke.
But that's not what they did. Instead, they looked in the mirror and said, "Yes, we can beat Duke! We are just as capable as they are. We have put in long hours and hard work. We have confidence. We believe in ourselves. We put on our uniforms the same way they do. We have value. We have worth. Now, we are going to go out and show those basketball gods that they need to spread the love because we are created exactly like the other guys!" They listened to their hearts. They believed in each other. They said, "Hey, if it's not us, then it's going to be someone else. So we are going to go out there and give it all we've got and show that hard work pays off."
The point I'm trying to drive home here is that we all have this little inner voice that talks to us all the time. Sometimes it says nice things. But more often, it tells us we can't do it. That little voice says in a faint whisper day after day "It's too risky or too time consuming or too far to reach or too something that makes it seem altogether pointless to try." You know that voice I'm talking about, right? It's the same voice that says, "You've got a million things to do and this is not on the list." The same voice that tells you not to give any money to the man on the street corner holding the "I need help sign" because he will simply use your money to buy beer and cigarettes. Yeah, that voice.
Well, I hope you have the courage to tell that voice to SHUT UP!
The sad thing is that so many of us listen to that voice. We agree with it and encourage it and allow it to be the lead dog, even when our hearts might tell us something different. Learning to think with a "can-do" attitude, believing you can make a difference, believing you can change for the better, and believing you are not worthless can get you going in the right direction.
Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke coach, said after his team's loss, "This game will take you to incredible highs, and it will also take you to incredible lows." Well, I'd say the same about life. The trick is not to let that little voice talk us into going to the low places on a regular basis. And when we're in those low places, not to believe we are superior to others or that other people aren't worth the risk. Let the "incredible highs" win out.
When we're on top, we must remember to be kind to and do good things for those who aren't as fortunate. We should all be pulling for the little guy. We should be patting them on the back and telling them, "You can do it. We have faith in you."
It's in our better nature to root for the underdog. Even though everyone knew Duke losing the game would be a bracket buster, I'm willing to bet the majority of folks watching that game were pulling for Lehigh, given that the odds were against them. I, too, had bet Duke would be in the Final Four, but I was still cheering for Lehigh like a crazy person. That's because we all, deep down, want to believe the underdog can beat the odds. We all want to see the little guy succeed, because if he can do it, we can also do it. But it takes great inner strength to win. It takes believing in ourselves and our ability to change. It takes caring. It takes telling that negative little voice to Shut Up!
The more we give, the more we get, so let's tell that inner voice that it's a new day and we are going "Lehigh" on everyone! We will be the difference makers, the bracket busters and everyone will say, "Wow, never thought they could do it." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is called a game changer.