Your Perspective Matters
In the article David and Goliath: Seven Life Lessons and Situational Perspectives I discuss seven life lessons from the popular story of David and Goliath. In this article, I am going to share with you a short piece on perspectives drawn from the David and Goliath story. You can read the previous article here.
David, a young teenager offers to fight and kill a giant and his army that was terrorising his country. He was the least qualified person to engage in combat against a veteran like Goliath. Faced with little to no options, Saul the king, agrees to let David fight Goliath.
One Person, Many Perspectives
- To Goliath, David was a mere boy
- Saul saw an unskilled boy-shepherd
- David’s brothers called him a nosy little brat
- To the army officers, David was a sacrificial lamb
- Saul’s right-hand man saw a scapegoat and a ransom
“Look within, because the answers we look for on the outside are usually found within.”
The Only Perception That Mattered
David got one thing right; which also happened to be the most important thing. His perception of himself – he remembered his identity, held on to his self-belief, and recounted what he had accomplished with his identity and self-belief. He did not discount his strength, nor belittle his skill, nor disregard his catapult (a weapon that was almost comical), in the face of the more accomplished Goliath, and his array of the latest artillery of the time.
Young businesses have been known to unseat industry giants; young people have upturned social status quos accomplishing what many considered impossible.
It is relatively easy to belittle what a person or business has and can do, in the face of giants and their accoutrements.
Perceptions, perspectives, and sentiments abound. The one perspective you should always concern yourself with is your own perspective, in consonance with a deep, honest, intrinsic knowledge of your strengths (or the strengths of your business, as the case may be), and your ultimate goals and ambitions.
What you see determines how you respond. If you see impossibility, you will give up. If you see possibilities, not even the sky would be the limit.
Align Your Perspective From Within
Align yourself from within. The world would have and hold different, often times contradictory views of you and what you can do. But there is a place deep within yourself, which holds the secrets of who you are and what you believe. Look within, because the answers we look for on the outside are usually found within. Remember your story; remember the secret dreams and desires that keep you up at night. Remember the bolt of light that breaks through your dark thoughts to give you glimpses into strengths and possibilities buried under the caprices of life’s capriciousness.
Ultimately, the decision to face or run from the giants of life comes from a definite knowing of yourself, your story, and what it all means to you. It all depends on what you see.
“There is a place deep within yourself, which holds the secrets of who you are and what you believe. ”
Augustina O. Oti-Twumasi is a communications strategist, and L&D practitioner. she loves to inspire change in herself and in others. She does this through her work as a Training and Workshop Facilitator, Learning and Development Consultant, Creative Writer, Life Coach, and Integrated Marketing Communications Strategist.
