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The Underdog Advantage: Why Being ‘Behind’ Might Be the Best Damn Place to Start

The Underdog Advantage: Why Being ‘Behind’ Might Be the Best Damn Place to Start

Blogging


Back in 2018, late October maybe, can’t quite remember, I stumbled across this tiny blog from a woman named Keisha. She had, what, like 36 followers? Her site was clunky, her fonts clashed, and honestly, some of the photos looked like they’d been taken with a toaster. But her words, God, her words hit like a warm punch to the chest.

She wrote about parenting with one hand while filing hospital charts with the other. About not having WiFi, so she’d finish her blog posts inside a McDonald's with her baby asleep in a stroller and fries she couldn’t afford cooling beside her.

That blog? It exploded. Not overnight. But fast enough that people who once said “this’ll never work” were suddenly asking for interviews.

And here’s the kicker, nothing about Keisha was built for the algorithm. She was the opposite of strategic. She didn’t study SEO. Didn’t obsess over pixels. She just showed up and told the truth, even when it made her voice shake.

Why?

Because she had the underdog advantage. And if you’re reading this, maybe you do too.

No One’s Watching (Yet), So Break All the Rules

If nobody expects you to win, what’s stopping you from doing it your own weird way?

The top dogs, they’re scared to lose their spot. You? You’ve got nothing to lose, which means freedom. Sweet, reckless, delicious freedom.

Forget niches, “buyer personas,” and whatever buzzword got churned out of a marketing podcast this morning. The internet is full of people playing it safe. Don’t be one of them.

When Keisha started blogging, she didn’t know what she was “supposed” to do. So she just...did what she wanted. And people loved her for it.

Side note: most viral things weren’t built by people following step-by-step checklists. Just saying.

Try this: Write something today that scares you a little. Doesn’t matter if it’s messy. Or “off-brand.” Post it before you talk yourself out of it.

Your Struggles Are Sandpaper, They Shape You

You ever feel like success just skips over people like you?

Same.

But here’s a twist: all the rejection, the being-overlooked, the “not-yets”? They build calluses. And calluses are armor.

Success born from struggle is rooted deeper. Grit makes your work stickier. Because you’re not just chasing clicks, you’re clawing toward change.

Angela Duckworth, this grit researcher (yeah, that’s a thing), found that it’s not talent, but staying power that wins. Guess what underdogs have in spades?

Yup. Staying power. We don’t bounce back, we rebuild.

Try this: Set a small but gnarly goal. Like posting weekly for 60 days. No matter how tired, insecure, uninspired. Show up anyway. Grit is built in those moments.

Nobody’s Telling Your Story, Which Is Exactly Why You Must

Here’s the thing most gurus miss: relatability is value.

Not everyone wants to hear from a six-figure digital nomad sipping turmeric lattes in Bali. Some of us wanna hear from the exhausted dad posting after his 12-hour shift. Or the burnt-out teacher finding joy again through blogging.

There’s magic in saying, “Me too.” And underdogs? We specialize in that magic.

You don’t need a massive platform. You just need one reader to feel seen. That’s how tribes start.

Try this: Tell the story you usually skip. That breakup. That breakdown. That “I wanted to quit” moment. Watch what happens in your inbox afterward.

You Don’t Waste Time on Performance, You’re Too Busy Doing the Work

Big names worry about maintaining an image. You? You’re worried about getting the damn post up before your kids wake up. That’s real.

And real connects.

You’re not worrying about brand color palettes, you’re trying to figure out how to get Canva to stop crashing on your phone.

It’s not pretty. But it’s honest. And oddly enough, that honesty cuts through the noise louder than any “expert” tip ever could.

Try this: Stop editing out your humanness. Let typos slip once in a while. Post the photo that’s not perfectly filtered. Imperfection is relatable. And relatable is irresistible.

You’re Not Just Building a Blog, You’re Starting a Revolution

Okay, maybe not a literal revolution. But hear me out:

When you write from the margins, when you create while broke or scared or completely uncertain, you give others permission.

Permission to try. To fail. To show up anyway.

Keisha didn’t just build a blog. She built a lighthouse for people who thought they didn’t belong online. And lighthouses don’t shout, they shine.

Try this: Think about who you’re writing for. Someone five steps behind you. Speak directly to them. Use your blog like a walkie-talkie across the dark.

Plot Twist: You Were Never Behind

Maybe you thought your disadvantages made you less likely to win.

No connections. No budget. No clue where to start.

But here’s the plot twist: those weren’t liabilities. They were your origin story.

And if you’re brave enough to lean into that? You’ll write things no “top blogger” ever could.

Underdogs don’t follow blueprints. They write their own.

Final Push: Light the Damn Match

You don’t need permission. Or a course. Or the perfect funnel.

You need guts. Guts to post the thing no one else is posting. To hit publish before you feel “ready.” To tell the truth and not flinch.

There are people, right now, searching for something only you can say the way you say it.

Don’t deprive them because you think you’re not ready.

You are the variable.
You are the plot twist.
You are the blog they didn’t see coming.

Go light the fire.

And if it feels like no one’s watching?

Good.

That means you’re free to burn as bright as you damn well please.

Looking for a place to put your blog? Try Blogger or you can even create a Google site for yourself, all Free.

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