Resourcefulness Over Resources

There is so much to write, read and talk about when it comes to why resourcefulness, and not resources, is the defining factor for success. But before getting on to the simple ways that we may develop resourcefulness and the fact that we have to find it within ourselves instead of seeking it elsewhere, my special shout-out for all the self-made individuals out there who made no excuses, took responsibility and ownership of their lives and the direction they wanted to take, and most importantly, did not settle for mediocrity.

Not everybody starts life with riches, privileges or influential connections. Some people have dreams and a sheer passion to make those dreams happen.

I recently read an article in which Arnold Schwarzenegger was interviewed by Inc. He shares that the only ‘mantra’ he has used in his entire career when faced with difficulties is by visualizing the person he wants to become i.e. imagining his future successful and healthy self. He went on to elaborate on the biggest obstacle he ever faced in his life when he almost died during a heart surgery two years ago and how he struggled to breathe and walk when he gained consciousness after the procedure.

Arnold says that he kept using his signature visualization strategy throughout the time that helped turn this setback into the image of himself he had created in his mind. We will further explore this in detail below.

This subject is also very close to my heart because I recently had a chance to ponder over it with one of the many amazing mentors, I have had in my career who helped me build on my idea of resourcefulness. Shireen Naqvi, whom we all love to call Sheepa out of respect, is a widely known name in the Learning and Development industry of Pakistan with expertise in personal development, visionary leadership and emotional intelligence.

In this post, I’d be sharing some excerpts from our discussion on all things resourcefulness, redefining the possible, keeping oneself positive and finding the passion within.

How to Develop Resourcefulness?

What is resourcefulness? Simply put, it is your imagination and the ability to visualize and devise ways to handle a situation or perform a task at hand. These are your inner, mental capabilities and can be understood using the DCC framework, which is ‘Demands, Constraints and Choices’. Shireen further explores and explains it in the video below.

Immerse Yourself in What You Do

With resourcefulness, another important aspect that helps you effectively put resourcefulness to work is the ‘100-per cent rule’. This means that you invest all your efforts and give your undivided, focused attention to the work that you are doing at the moment. Be in the moment and be completely immersed in your work. The work then turns into passion instead of a burden.

Redefining the Possible

They say that the world around us is a creation of our thoughts and that every phenomenon we experience is merely a mental event. This takes us back to Arnold’s ‘visualizing’ strategy and reinforces that our subconscious mind feeds on our imaginations and the data that we give to it. It then passes it as experiences and events that later occur to us in future.

Let’s dive deeper into this concept in the video.

How resourceful do you think you are?

Follow this link for the complete video.

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