From the ancient story of David and Goliath we can learn the mindset or factors that address challenge, persistence, and success. In that order!
The Essentials
It’s critical, I believe, to develop the ability to persist in the face of challenge. In fact, by persisting we find a way to move forward in the face of a life challenge.
For example, in college, students learn persistence, in part, by not dropping a class at the first sign of a challenge.
Consequently, classroom success contributes to early career success if students develop persistence. However, they must also engage in other, extra-curricular professional development activities.
Interestingly, challenge, persistence, and success can flow one after the other when we recognize the key elements of the process!
Defining Persistence
Now, a dictionary definition of persistence emphasizes doing something, or trying to do something, even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. In addition, similar words or concepts include ceaseless, continuing, endurance, and perseverance.
How important is persistence? Angela Duckworth’s book and Ted talk, with over 25 million views, examines persistence. She defines grit as passion and perseverance toward a goal. She argues that persistence is a mark of high achievers.
Challenge, Persistence, and David’s Success
Do an online search to get an idea of how deep the interest is in the relationship between individual persistence or perseverance, and success! In fact, both academic studies and the personal growth literature address this topic extensively.
That said, rather than review the success literature, this blog post relies on a familiar, but ancient story. It’s the story of David and Goliath from First Samuel Chapter 17. There we read about persisting toward success in the face of a challenge.
What does the David-Goliath story teach us about persistence? Well, here are several take-aways:
- Knowing what’s essential is essential!
- Learning from life experiences builds experiential insights.
- Building transferable skills is of great value.
- Growing self-awareness positions me for success.
- Having a back-up plan is always good.
- Ignoring criticism is necessary at times.
- Acting decisively – with deep conviction – propels me forward.
It’s unrealistic to believe I have the physical or mental capacity to do everything I desire in the impossible time frame I imagine. But, it’s equally unrealistic to believe I can be no more and do no more than who I am and what I am already! proverbsforprofessionals.net
Elements of Persistence
Here are seven things related to persistence we learn from this story.
ONE: Know what’s most essential.
David recognized the cause. He didn’t get sidetracked by the size of the challenge. He was very much aware of his own strengths, but focused on the essential. See First Samuel 17.29.
TWO: Learn from life experiences. That is, reflect in order to build experiential insights.
Here, David recalled prior life challenges. Hence, continual learning and skill building is of great value in my career IF I’m able to convert those prior experiences to practical, experiential insights. See First Samuel 17.34-36.
THREE: Know very specifically how your current skills transfer elsewhere.
As such, David recognized that his past success as a shepherd could apply right here, right now. Moreover, he saw issues beyond himself at work in his life. Thus, he was able to combine strategic thinking with a practical operating strategy. See First Samuel 17.37.
FOUR: Note the value of both self-awareness and being selective.
David declined to use the king’s armor. Why? Because he realized his skill set and approach to this challenge required agility.
So what? Well, rather than engage in hand-to-hand combat he charged the giant and struck quickly – from a distance! See First Samuel 17.38-39.
FIVE: Give yourself multiple chances to succeed.
David picked up “five smooth stones.” Although he only needed one, he had extra resources to try again if needed. This, I believe, is the 1000 BC version of risk diversification! See First Samuel 17.40.
Why did the first stone work? I think because David identified a fatal flaw in his opposition!
SIX: Don’t be discouraged by undue criticism.
Unfortunately, allies, family, and his enemies all were skeptical about David’s ability to succeed in the face of this significant challenge. He persisted – he executed successfully – due to personal conviction. See First Samuel 17.28, for example.
SEVEN: Run toward your problems.
I agree that it’s important to be deliberate when making decisions. But, don’t become paralyzed by over-analysis. Move forward! See First Samuel 17.48.
David charged the giant; the rest is history.
Apply This Today!
THE IMPACT: David’s actions inspired others who watched this event play out in real time. More importantly, this story is a classic example of an early, and very significant, career success.
A WARNING: So, how did David act after this initial win? He didn’t let it go to his head. Instead, he “behaved himself wisely.” Remember, humility carries us a long way. Conversely, how many high flyers believe the rules don’t apply to them?
It’s important I believe, early in a career, to persist toward successful outcomes. However, it’s even more vital to build a long-term view regarding humility. In addition, we need a solid grounding about what’s most essential regarding staying true to our values.
Finally, don’t miss what’s most obvious in this story. David and Goliath isn’t about big vs small! Instead, it’s about being propelled forward by a clearly defined life purpose. We must know WHO we are. Then, we must recognize and pursue our divinely-given life purpose.
NOTE: An earlier of this blog post appeared as a LinkedIn article available here.
Post originally published December 26, 2021. Updated April 8, 2023.