Resourcefulness: A Precious Ally

Recently I have been playing with the word “resourcefulness”. This action of mine is part of a recent commitment to playfully stretch my creativity muscle especially when it comes to providing solutions during challenging situations.?

Dictionaries define a “resource” as a source or supply of raw materials that bring a country, a person or an organization wealth. A resource can be tangible or intangible and it can literally encompass anything. For instance it can be an asset, a building, money, intellect, ideas, knowledge, training programs, books we refer to, people we consult or ask help from. Likewise, someone who is “resourceful” is a person who is ingenious, intelligent and skillful in finding ways of doing things and overcoming obstacles.

When I break the word down to “re-source” I understand it as the ability to tap into our wealth of knowledge, wisdom, ideas and other material assets and use them to our advantage. To “re-source” is a way to return to an abundant source, a spring of prosperity that is readily available to us at all times, or at least when we consciously believe in it and seek it. Especially when I focus on the prefix “re-” I recognize the potency of “re-sourcing”, as it indicates repetition; we can always go back to an infinite source and refill again and again.

Sometimes our focus can wane and we might lose sight of the resources that we already have or can potentially access. What is important here is to recognize the plethora of resources, even the ones that we refrain from using at the moment for any emotional or practical reason. They are still there and we might not want to use them at the moment, or maybe we need a few additional actions that will take us closer to actually use them. Once we become aware of our assets, we can start to narrow them down and use the ones that are more accessible right now, or the most beneficial ones in terms of providing us with some kind of strategic advantage that will take us closer to our goals.

In case you still have any doubt about the potency and abundance of resources in your life, allow me to present to you “resource-fullness”. To make my point, I am deliberately misspelling the word “resourcefulness” and emphasize how full of ideas, skills and solutions each one of us can be. At challenging times our “resourcefullness” is our go-to. What creates overwhelm, especially during times of crisis, is the so often limiting belief that we lack the resources we need to tackle a problem, come up with a solution, improve our health, improve our finances, become a successful professional etc. Contrary to that, if we focus on where we can look for support, what small action we can take right now to gradually make an impactful difference, we realize that we are “full” of resources. Maybe our ideal solution lies in our reading an inspirational or educational book, or taking a certification, or talking to the right people who hold expertise on the matter we are trying to resolve. All these are just a few examples of resources that can be available to us if we allow our mind to direct its attention not to what we don’t have or can’t do. Instead, it is more potent to think of what we can do, what we have, what we can have or what we can improve and on the ways we can create leverage.

In fact, I invite or challenge you (whatever motivates you more) right now to create your “ResourceFullness” list. Write down 10 resources, current or potential. These can be financial, educational, professional resources or any skill, personality trait, person that can add value to your goals, etc. Make a note of everything that comes to mind, even if you initially reject it. Leave doubts aside and allow your perspective to broaden. That is t’s the initial step to flex your “resourcefullness” muscle. And do not forget to have fun while discovering how "resourcefull" you truly are!