I have always lived by the wise words, “Any given team can beat any other given team on any given day.” The sage who revealed this to me was my mother. Without it, I would be a slave to predictions and odds, just like most athletes in the world today. Unfortunately, predictions and odds on the outcome of sporting events have more of an effect on competitors’ mentalities than it should.

Going into a race predicted to come in last out of 100 competitors will never make an athlete confident coming up to the start line. The training he or she has put in to prepare should be the only contribution to that competitor’s level of confidence. That runner is also a parallel to the student who is told he isn’t smart, the musician who did not get into music school, or even the lawyer with a poor success rate.

Also, I am not stupid. I understand that gambling will always happen, and I am not calling for a halt. All I am calling for is change in mentality: when it comes to that specific day in the classroom, on the stage, or in the courtroom, just always remember that anything can happen. After all, David beat Goliath.

Emilio Zapata, a Mexican revolutionist, inspired his people by saying, “I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.” I am calling for another revolution, in the mentality of all competitors. I am rooting for the underdog, and I want you to root for yourself, and stop being a slave to the odds. Stand on your feet and die trying to win, rather than competing on your knees and accepting defeat. At least if you do lose, you will know you made your competition earn the victory, and if you win, it will make the victory taste that much sweeter knowing that you proved those “experts” wrong.

The theme behind Zapata’s quotation traces back to the beginning of human civilization. The Greeks were slaves to no one, and when they gathered at each Olympics, every man competing stepped up to bat believing he would win.

“Prometheus Bound,” a play from antiquity, contains the quotation, “For it would be better to die once and for all, than to suffer pain for all one's life.” As Prometheus complains about his eternal punishment, he is also preaching to all humanity that living for eternity as a slave is worse than living a free mortal life. Don’t live as a slave to predictions. Do not set limits on yourself based on the preconceived notions of others. Work harder than your competition to prepare for game day and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.

When you are physically out on the field, envisioning what it takes to claim your moment of glory, look to yourself for reassurance, not toward what others believe will happen. If nothing else, remember that any given team can beat any given other team on any given day.