In sports, we have a strong tendency to root for the underdog.

Maybe we find ourselves doing it because we hate when the big guy wins. Maybe we like to be surprised and see a great game when there should be a blow out.

Or maybe — we like to align with the team that seems like they want it more.

In unevenly matched games, there is usually a disparity between the overall skill-levels held by the players on either team. One is more skilled than the other, one is less skilled than the other. Those are physical limitations that are nearly impossible to alter at game time. 

When it’s put like that, predicting the match’s outcome seems pretty easy.

So why even bother playing the game if we already know who is the more skilled team?

Because passion trumps skill

Passion levels the playing field.

Once you bring passion into the equation, the playing field immediately shifts. Even when faced with an opponent that is far more skilled than themselves, the underdogs have the opportunity to outwork the Goliath and will itself to victory.

You have to want it

Even beyond the sports world, passion still trumps skill.

We all can name a person that we know who is smart enough to dominate their respective field — yet still has the same job that they have had forever. They show up late, leave early, and are glued to their phone. You look at them and think to yourself, “that person could run the company if they wanted to. What are they waiting for?”

At the same time, we all know someone who works way harder than everyone else to make a little better pay grade than the very smart, yet complacent, person mentioned in the last paragraph.

One of them is very passionate and one is very skilled.

One is an asset, and one is wasting talent, to put it bluntly.

Surround yourself with passionate people and you

will see the results that you dream about

Let’s take these two hypothetical people to a hypothetical situation.

When faced with the decision to hire a new employee, you have one very skilled applicant and one inexperienced applicant. It appears that the very skilled applicant can be an immediate asset to help you reach your new sales goals.

Very enticing.

At the same time, it appears that the inexperienced applicant will require more training and is less of a sure shot to help you reach your immediate sales goals.

However, this inexperienced applicant seems extremely hungry for the job opportunity and is showing genuine drive, motivation, and desire to join your team.

The spirit and passion of the inexperienced applicant is nice to see in the interview and all, but you need to make a decision to help the company grow. Seems like a no-brainer business decision when choosing between the two.

Right?

Wrong.

No matter how skilled you are, if you don’t

want something bad enough then you won’t fight for it

You can’t just learn passion. If you don’t have the passion for something, you just don’t have it.

You could have a boat-load of skills, but that isn’t nearly enough if you don’t want to utilize them.

On the other hand, skills actually can be learned. If you have the passion, you have the ability to learn. It might be messy at first, but obstacles can be overcome with perseverance.

Passion will allow a person to take punch after punch to the face because that person knows that after one of theose punches, they will figure out the best move to avoid that next blow— and strike back even harder.

Aim high

So while the more skilled applicant can produce immediate results, their ceiling of potential is — and always will be — lower.

The inexperienced applicant may be slow to start, but their ceiling is set at a much, much higher level of potential.

That is what you want.

I want to be surrounded with people who have the passion to land on the moon even after attempting to launch a rocket 1000 different times.

Give me passion over skill 10 times out of 10