It's Not About the External Resources...
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Typing the above quote brought the movie Hustle & Flow to mind. I remember watching Ludacris and Terrence Howard recite this truism in unison and at the time, I didn’t think much of it. So I went back to that scene on YouTube, and I paid close attention to their conversation. Terrence’s character (DJay) had been anxious to connect with Luda’s character’s (Skinny Black) because he was a huge fan of his artistry; particularly his first album. So in this scene, DJay was able to finally meet Skinny Black and hold a conversation with him. DJay praised Skinny Black’s first album and Skinny Black smiled in appreciation and made it known that he recorded that album in his mother’s laundry room. DJay then went on to say, “It’s not enough for a man to climb Mt. Everest. He gotta (sic) do that shit with the least amount of tools. One man and his skills.” Skinny Black then said, “Like the Samurai say (sic), the sword is only as powerful as its master.” Then DJay recited the Mark Twain quote and Skinny Black joined in. Whew child, after watching that exchange I felt like the doors of the church were open. I got all the proverbs I needed out of that small scene.
I’m assuming most of you have heard about the David and Goliath story from the bible. Well that whole Hustle & Flow scene piggybacks off that bible story in my opinion. It was hard to imagine David defeating Goliath because he didn’t have the fancy weapons, strength, or mass that Goliath possessed. But it turned out that David didn’t need any swords or big muscles to win the battle because what he was armed with was waaaaay more vicious. David had the internal artillery….he had the fight inside of him. Also, think about the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. He didn’t make any excuses about the market running out of food or anything like that. He just showed up with what He had and made it happen. But some of us still won’t pursue our dream because we’re waiting on our bank accounts to reflect a certain number or our inventory to be overflowing (shaking my head).
I wrote all that to say that it’s time out for excuses. A lot of us are thinking we need a certain amount of social media followers, a nice office, an elaborate website, a high-tech camera, or a resourceful network to accomplish what we wish to accomplish. When in actuality, all you need is maybe a few small things and, most importantly, the determination to get things cracking. So many great things have been birthed from little to no resources. And when you think about it, resources actually play a small part in making anything happen. The true power to make things shake lies within the human.
So the next time you shy away from something because you don’t have enough of this or that or you back down from a challenge because you don’t have what you think you need to succeed, remember how David bust Goliath’s head with just a stone and a sling. Remember how Jesus fed multiple people with just a small amount of bread and fish.
External resources are good to have, but they don’t determine your outcome - the internal resources do. A lot can come from a little. Let’s not concentrate so much on the tangibles, let’s put our faith in the intangible.
Doing the most with the least,
- Samjah Iman
Outfit Details: Dopeaholics Hat // Romper // Vans
I got one more thing to show you before you leave this page!! When you get a second, check me out on the Introvert N The City podcast here. I’m discussing how it feels to be a black woman entrepreneur and some more things. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the support in advance! xoxo
Oh and screw the system/people who didn’t bring proper justice to Breonna Taylor’s case…UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Photo Credit: 87 Photography