Five keys to defeat Goliath

The deeper I get into building an organization and leading a team, the more that I recognize that your mindset plays the most significant factor in catalyzing long-term sustainable growth in your organization.

If you win the mindset battle, you will win a thousand other battles and ultimately a war for your destiny.

I recently wrote about how your whole team needs to have a victory mindset, that you need everyone to have a clear, positive perspective if you are to enter into the promised land.

At the same time, there are moments when you can personally forge a breakthrough that opens up doors of opportunity for everyone in your organization.

David and Goliath is the perfect example of this. Goliath had set up conditions in which the victory or defeat of one person would cause the victory or defeat of the rest of the army. The entire Israelite army had assessed the situation, and they assessed that from a human standpoint they had no chance.

Then David comes along and he is shocked that nobody has done anything about the situation. His mental game is in a completely different place than everyone else. What was it about his mental game that separated him from every other person in the Israelite army?

Here are five keys that gave David a victorious mindset which ultimately led to a personal victory and then a victory for the entire army.

Refer to your past

David referred to moments when he had defeated lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34-36) and his assumption was that if he was able defeat lions and bears, then he could also take on this next challenge. Life is a series of challenges, and if you can remember the ones you overcame before, this can help you overcome the one in front of you.

Reframe your opposition

David did not see his opponent as formidable and unbeatable. He saw his opponent as similar to something that he had beaten before: “this uncircumcised will be like one of them [the lions and bears]” (1 Samuel 17:36). Your perspective of what you are up against will impact your game plan. It’s not that you don’t accurately assess issues or problems. It’s just important to not expand them in your mind beyond what they really are.

Reach for a stone

When David defeated Goliath, he didn’t use Saul’s armor. He used a slingshot, a tool that he had employed before and that he had a talent for using. When you face an obstacle, assume that God has put some kind of resource inside of you that you can use for this moment. It might be a connection with a person who has the right talent, or it might be something you can do. If you search for it, you will find it.

Remember what God has done for you

David remembered that God was the one who had saved him from the lion and the bear. His grateful attitude towards God’s previous intervention in his life allowed him to be ready to see God move again.

Relentless solution focus

This is the title of a book I started reading this past week by Jason Selk. It has some fantastic strategies for improving your mental game, and as I read the book, I couldn’t help but think of David. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time, so instead of focusing on your problems, focus on creating strategies and solutions to overcome your problems.

Jason Selk says that in order to keep your problem centered thought in check, give yourself 60 seconds to focus on a problem before you move on to focusing on the solution. David was much more engaged with how to solve the problem of Goliath than he was in fretting about how great Goliath’s strength was.

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is full of keys to changing your mental mindset. I encourage you to spend some time looking for more keys to help you with your mental game.

How is your mental strength? Maybe you need to do what I am doing and take 2022 as a year to becoming mentally tough. Send me a quick note if you want to commit to having 2022 be a year of mental toughness.