I love when people underestimate me, and then become pleasantly surprised. — Jack Black
Growing up, I was a decent swimmer, but never in danger of breaking any significant records. At the age of eleven, I had a choice to make: Dive in (no pun intended) and train with the winter swimmers or coast and stick with the “summer” program. I chose the former.
The winter training was grueling and I often felt inferior and out of place, given the incredible level of talent surrounding me. But I stuck with it and (very) gradually improved. While I noticed my times dropping, I wasn’t making a difference or catching the attention of any of the coaches.
Midway through the season, we held a fundraiser, raising $1 for every lap we completed, with a maximum of two hundred. The coaches estimated how many laps we could complete in one continuous swim, and assigned that number to each participant as a goal. The elite swimmers all received two hundred laps as a goal, and then I received mine. And it was nothing short of insulting. Eighty laps! C’mon, now!
When the day of the big swim finally arrived, I knew exactly where I was focused. And there was no stopping me. On my eightieth lap, as one of the assistant coaches waited to congratulate me, I did a flip-turn and intentionally splashed enough water to get his attention. Not done yet!
For the next one hundred and twenty laps, I was fueled by an overwhelming desire to prove that I belonged. And as I labored down the pool for my two-hundredth lap, the aches in my shoulders were replaced by a groundswell of pride. The promised land!
I dragged myself out of the pool, only to see the head coach running over to my lane. I wasn’t even sure he knew my name.
“Two hundred laps! Now that’s some impressive swimming!”
I was too tired to speak. I just nodded politely and smiled.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”
I thought about it. A beat. Then another beat.
“Yes. Don’t ever underestimate me again!”
It was an admittedly cocky response. And it surely got his attention. But it also has broader implications for our everyday lives. Despite limited success, how confident do we remain in our own abilities? And do we let other people’s expectations define us or fuel us?
Driven From Within
In our lives, success may not come right away. It takes time to learn a product. It takes time to understand the market. It takes time to express our feelings and build relationships. We may go several years without making a breakthrough. We may endure a losing streak that even surprises us! Eventually, we may be labeled as underachievers. Eventually, people may expect less of us. If we are not careful, those expectations can become self-fulfilling.
In times like these, we have two choices: block out the naysayers, or actively work to prove them wrong. Only we know the fuel inside of us. Only we know how hard we will work to climb back up the mountain. Only we know the feelings we are capable of expressing. Only we know that our best times are ahead of us. And it is up to us to ensure we never stop believing. To ensure we never succumb to the doubting whispers and the thin veil of mediocrity and solitude. Past failure doesn’t dictate our future. We have to maintain our confidence. We may not have shared our greatest gifts with the world. But there’s still time!
Our Best is Yet to Come
But we also have to protect against bitterness. We have to be realistic about other people’s expectations. If we have been on a losing streak, it is not their fault that they expect less from us. If we have not expressed our feelings with aplomb, it is not their fault that they view us as emotionally immature. Why would the world believe in us if we haven’t yet shown them?
Our awakening to resilience has to be fueled by our own desire to do better. By our own desire to maximize our God-given talents. By our own desire to reach our potential. At the end of the day, we can’t control the way other people perceive us. Ultimately, we have to judge our success by our own scorecard.
My swim coaches were not wrong to expect me to only complete eighty laps. I hadn’t shown them anything to showcase my ability. But I knew deep down I had more to offer. I knew my best was yet to come. And so it is with all of us.
We have to stay confident in our own abilities. And we can never underestimate our own potential.