Underdog's

A few weeks ago I was at a store and they were having a sale on DVD's.  I saw a copy of Seabiscuit, and while I had seen the movie before, I bought the DVD mostly because it was a good deal, not because I was a huge fan of the movie.  Tonight I watched it for the first time after bringing it home with me, and I have to say it was one of the more emotional movies I have recently watched.  My eyes got watery multiple times during the movie.  

I think the main reason for this is that Seabiscuit was an underdog, just like my Dad.  My Dad was born during the great depression, and didn't have the same range of options as we enjoy today.  He was lucky enough to go to college, and was the first member of our family to obtain a college degree.  He then parlayed that into an extremely successful career, due to his ability to set goals and work hard to achieve them.  Watching the movie reminded me so much of my Dad and how he overcame so many challenges in his life.  He passed away just over a year ago, but he still has a huge influence in my life.  I try and live so that he would be proud of me, and I find myself still trying to do things that we spoke about while he was alive.  Anyway, watching the movie about overcoming setbacks and doing your best were probably two of the most dominant themes of my Dad's life, and if was a good reminder of how valuable those qualities can be in determining your success in life.