Being the underdog is the place I most excel from. It is a great thrill to prove people wrong, and blow away their preconceived expectations. This has fueled many of my greatest feats. But it is unsustainable. It is not a model for growth. It means that I am seeking out detractors at every turn. The trailer for the new film Whiplash has a maniacal instructor say in stern and homicidal tone : there are no two words more harmful in the English language than ‘Good Job’.
And I have been feeling this truth. Now I don’t write because I don’t want to plateau or disappoint or just remain stagnant. Prove the naysayers correct. Maybe it is now long overdue that I simply go about proving myself wrong.
collective failure 
In a famous Maya Angelou interview she spoke to this same character flaw:
“Each time I said no. Then he talked to James Baldwin. Jimmy gave him a ploy which always works with me—though I’m not proud to say that. The next time he called, he said, Well, Miss Angelou. I won’t bother you again. It’s just as well that you don’t attempt to write this book, because to write autobiography as literature is almost impossible. I said, What are you talking about? I’ll do it. I’m not proud about this button that can be pushed and I will immediately jump.”
http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/2279/the-art-of-fiction-no-119-maya-angelou