The underdog mentality is a powerful tool when combined with skill and a spirit determined to lead against tough odds. The greatest moments in sports are filled with underdog stories. Coach Jim Valvano and his 1983 N.C. State Wolfpack lived one of those great stories. Giving insight into the mindset that creates such leadership, he once made this amazing statement: “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”

As men and parents in this fast-changing world, we often find ourselves pitted against the odds. Issues of financial stress, relationship problems, family relational difficulty, or issues of split family drama are some ways we can find ourselves leading from behind. These are the moments we can either get blown out by the opposition, which leads to things like bankruptcy and breaking our kids’ hearts, or we can regroup and come out fighting in the second half. We still might lose, but we are going to throw everything we have at it before that comes. Here’s how.