In every underdog story, there is one essential driving force - love. What else would make someone want to stand in the gap of such improbable odds? There wouldn't be underdog stories if there weren't such perceived imbalances in opposing ideas, forces, or teams. When an unexpected outcome occurs, especially one with such shocking results, we can't help but feel excited, the feeling that no matter the odds, there's always a chance, and perhaps we can defy odds for the good in our lives as well.
You wouldn’t catch me at a marathon, or a half-marathon, or a 40-yard dash. If I'm running, it's because of something, and everyone else should be running to it too! However, some people do like running. Again, I have not been, but I’d imagine that at the start of a race, I would see people more or less dressed the same. Tight running apparel, the best running shoes, and fancy sunglasses. Enter, Cliff Young, an Aussie who grew up on a 2,000-acre sheep farm in Australia.
Cliff, age 61, as a bit of an unknown, entered an Ultramarathon in 1983. It spanned 544 miles from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia. Cliff showed up in overalls and gumboots. He said he thought he could do it because he had spent his whole life rounding up sheep before storms on the ranch, and that sometimes took days of running.
As you may expect, no one took him seriously. Look up a picture of gumboots and imagine someone telling you they were going to run any race in those. You wouldn't take them seriously either. However, no one told Cliff he couldn't or that he was supposed to sleep, so he just ran. A real-life tortoise and the hare unfolded as he completed the race in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes. He beat the second-place finisher by 10 hours! He didn't even know there was a prize at the end and decided to split his $10,000 winnings with the other runners! Cliff just loved running.
One of the most interesting things that came out of his victory was a fascination with how he ran. It was unconventional. Eventually dubbed the “Young Shuffle,” the awkwardness of it reminds me of speed walking in the Olympics. In time, though, it has been recognized as a very efficient way to run, especially over long periods, and many athletes have modelled it in their races.
Cliff did not care about conventional wisdom. He was not concerned with what others thought; he knew what he could do because he had done it a thousand times. I often feel like my industry is held back by conventional wisdom. It can leave no room for love. While I don't expect others to love stocks, bonds and financial planning, I want you to love what all of that can mean for you. I’d imagine Cliff didn't think of himself as running meaninglessly in a straight line. In his head, he was herding sheep. Don't think of yourself as blending investments to generate returns; think of yourself as maximizing your purpose and enjoying the impact you can make in the places you care about. Focusing on what you love is the ingredient you need to give yourself the opportunity to create your own “Young Shuffle.”