Why Not Us?

Did you see it? Chances are, if you’re living in North Carolina, you did. That game, that improbable moment, when N.C. State, the team that, a week ago, was done for the season, the team that has not won the ACC tournament since 1987, the team that had to play five games in five days, took down the number one seed North Carolina (and Duke as well, along the way) and won the whole thing. It was magical. It was miraculous. It was completely, utterly improbable. And yet, it happened.

And after, N.C. State star D.J. Horne, interviewed at mid-court said, “Like I’ve been saying from the jump, why not us?”

Indeed. It would have been so easy for those players to count themselves out before the

tournament ever started. Everyone else had. The only other major conference men’s team to win five straight games and the tournament was UConn in 2011, who went on to win the NCAA tournament. Now, that would be improbable for N.C. State. Improbable, but not impossible. Why not us?

Most of us don’t have the benefit of playing sports on the collegiate level, but many of us have experienced the lessons that come with team activities. Learning resilience, humility, and graciousness. Learning how to not be a bully. Learning how to set a goal and work towards achieving it. Learning that yes, talent matters. Skill matters. Sometimes luck matters. But so does belief in yourself.

Nobody believed that N.C. State would win that tournament, let alone that they would win the first game. Except, as Horne reminded us, Why not? Why not N.C. State? Someone was going to win that tournament, so why couldn’t that someone be us?

For me, this is such a great lesson in the midst of this writing and querying process. Yes, it’s demoralizing. Yes, it’s easy to want to give up and think, clearly I’m not good enough, clearly I won’t ever be successful in landing an agent and getting traditionally published, clearly I wasn’t meant to do this, clearly I don't have the luck that others do.

But then I think about all of the books that line the bookshelves in bookstores, grocery stores, airports, and online. And I give myself a little kick in the behind. If those authors can make it, why not me, too? After all, the difference between a published author and one who is not, is the published author didn't give up.

Success takes work. N.C. State didn’t just show up at this tournament with ten students and a dream. Just like everyone else this week, they have put in hundreds of hours of practice, time in the weight room, time on the road playing games. They have studied game film and learned plays, made adjustments, and worked on getting better at their craft. Were they the best team in this tournament? Of course not. That was the team that they beat – and handily, I might add – to win the thing.

No matter what you're working towards, belief in yourself isn’t enough. It takes skill, talent, practice, and sometimes a little luck. But if there’s anything we should take away from that game, and this awesome, magical time of year, it’s to believe in yourself, against all the odds, even when others don’t.

After all, it’s called March Madness for a reason. Absolutely improbable - but not impossible - things can and do happen.