Resourcefulness is something that has long fascinated me. So what is resourcefulness and why do some people have it in abundance and others don’t?
We all have many resources, both internal and external. Internal resources include our attention, energy, intelligence, expertise, creativity, time, physical abilities, and so on. External resources include people, money, property, and physical items. We might be able to trade some of our resources for other resources, e.g. trade money for education or trade our time, attention, and intelligence (in the form of work) for money and other benefits. See below for a more comprehensive list of resources.
People who are resourceful are flexible and curious about how they use their resources. When a problem arises they (subconsciously most often) ask themselves “how can I use my resources to fix this problem”. A resourceful person focuses not on the problem, but on using their resources to find a solution.
An example. You know the old expression: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. What does this mean in the context of resourcefulness?
Give a man (or woman) a fish, and you feed him (or her) for a day – YOU have been a resource to him and given him one consumable resource, that will be gone once he has consumed it.
Teach a man to fish – you have taught him a new skill, a new resource that he can access any day of his life. If he’s really resourceful might decide to teach others to fish, he might sell the excess fish he catches to make money with that money he might buy a new fishing rod, or a boat, or start a business as a fish supplier or a fishing school. You see when you are resourceful… you have many more options.
Tony Robbins says “it’s never a lack of resources, it’s a lack of resources” that prevents success.
I believe we all have more resources than we realize.
When faced with a problem, if we can access our resources in a flexible and creative way we are more likely to find a solution.
We may need the support of another person (say a coach, a friend, or team member) to help us uncover our resources and appreciate our true worth, and to become more resourceful. One of the things I love about coaching is that I often help people discover how valuable their resources are and come up with a new way to use their existing resources.
Optional exercise: Becoming Resourceful
- Rate yourself on your resourcefulness (0 = not resourceful at all, 10 = resourcefulness is my superpower)
- Make a list of your resources
- Think of a problem that you are facing, have you accessed all of your resources to find a solution? If the answer is NO what else could you do? If the answer is YES… are you sure?
Have a fantastic week and I look forward to our next call! Here is the list of resources I promised.
******************************
As promised above…
Internal resources include (this is a work in progress if you think of any more let me know)
- Time
- Attention
- Expertise
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Energy (linked to your health & state)
- Physical abilities
- Cognitive abilities
- Opinion
- Connection / love
- Problem-solving skills
- Independence
- Patience
- Curiosity
- Interpersonal skills
- Presence
- Intelligence
- Creativity
- Influence
- Determination
- Focus
- Organization skills
- Humor
- Wisdom
- Strength
- Compassion
- Playfulness
- Resourcefulness
- Etc…
External resources include
- People
- Money
- Land or property
- Physical products (aka stuff or consumables)
- Services
- Vehicles – car, bike, plane
- Technology
- Investments
- Savings
- Stocks
- etc… etc…
