In Japan, there is one expression widely used in the sales field. It is “We have to prepare some weapons to fight”.
Not literal fighting, but fighting for acquisition of new customers or selling products. Getting a job is likened to being in a war. If we don’t have weapons and tools such as catalogues, paper documents, new products or strategies, we can’t beat our rivals.
This phrase can also be used to describe humans in Japan. This can be used to express the same meaning as “strength”. For example, “A woman’s weapon is her teardrops”. When women shed tears, men can’t do anything but try to forgive, etc. So, it is said that a woman’s tear is very strong, something like a weapon.
Weapons are meant to protect us from harm or be used to defeat our enemies. In order to protect ourselves and fight, we can utilize different weapons within ourselves. Examples of these are qualifications, skills, character and even human relationships.
Now, thinking about myself, I may not have any outstanding character or skills, but I have a good smile. A good smile can lead to having a good first impression. And in my field, Sales, it is a very important capital, which makes others feel comfortable to contact me whenever they want, and leads me to closing new deals or obtaining new orders.
Generally speaking, weapons are not eternal. They are considered degradable.
So, as time passes, we might need to change or sharpen our weapons based on our circumstances. As long as we have a powerful weapon, we might not need to change it. But it is not always like that. We should also be aware that some are not permanent. When the time comes we need to realize that our weapons may be no longer viable or useful, we must not cling to the glories of our past victories, and let go of the now useless skills.
We also can create another weapon, more suited for the current circumstances, right?
Photo： The strength of tigers must be… a very powerful bite force!