I’m a big fan of the word “resourceful,” which I think is a great way to describe someone who has a lot of ideas and can find ways to make them happen. Lately, I’ve started following this: You need to know what to do, not how to do it. You’ll figure that one out! 🙂
What Does it Mean to Become a Resourceful Person?
In the dictionary, we find the word “resourceful.” But what does it mean to become one? For most people, becoming resourceful means being able to solve problems themselves rather than depending on someone else to help them. However, there’s another meaning behind the word. This definition states that a resourceful person can use whatever they have to accomplish something.
The idea here is that no matter how difficult the problem might seem, a resourceful person will never give up trying to resolve it. They believe that they can do everything, even if they don’t know how to start.
Resourceful person is not limited by their knowledge, skills, tools, or abilities. They don’t feel like they need to wait for someone else to come along to help them. Instead, they think about ways to solve the issue themselves.
Resourcefulness is a mindset; it starts with us and continues throughout our lives. We can learn to be resourceful by understanding the different types of situations that happen in life.
Would you rather have resources or know how to be resourceful?
I actually had a few conversations today that sparked this article. And it’s not because I am any different! When I was in my corporate job, one of my strengths was resourcefulness. I almost was taking it for granted because I thought – that’s who I am, everyone could be like this… if you don’t know, just ask. Find your ways, the answers you need, the tools that exist etc. But when I started coaching, more and more, I started to realize that being resourceful and having resources, are two very different things. Let’s start from the beginning.
Having resources means having money, time, food, clothes, etc. – all are infinite resources. You have them or you don’t. They eventually run out and you have to create more of them.
Being resourceful – is a way of being, thinking, and doing – and those actions do not stop! So it’s way more useful for life (and work or business) to know how to be resourceful than have resources. Do you get it? By being resourceful you create more resources!
Resourcefulness skills involve a person’s ability to find efficient and innovative ways to overcome challenges. These skills are the key to success in any field. Whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to run a business, being resourceful is essential. This ability to adapt and solve problems creatively will give you a competitive edge and increase your chances of success. And now the big question: How can I be resourceful?
Here are 11 ways to be resourceful:
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Build relationships.
You can’t do it alone, more brains know more!
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Be a life-long student
Learn new things and provide value to others as well.
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Know yourself, your limits and your strengths.
You’re here for life, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Sustain your health and well-being!
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Build systems in your work and life – be effective and efficient.
Efficiency Versus Effectiveness: Is It Possible To Do Both? Let’s look into it in more detail. You can read much more on this topic here.
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Plan and execute
Get things done – action is important – progress brings results!
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Be creative and curious
Creativity and curiosity go hand in hand. Being interested in things and new solutions is quite essential to your success. There are books, tools or people who focus on developing curiosity and creativity. Read more about very interesting research on creativity here.
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Be open-minded.
In today’s world, where everything is becoming increasingly digitalized, it becomes even more important to keep up with technological changes. If you want to succeed in business, then you must always strive to learn something new every day. This way, you are able to adapt to the ever-changing environment and use the latest technologies to your advantage. However, there are certain things that cannot change – like values, morals, and ethics. These are the most important aspects of life, and they will never go away. Therefore, it is essential that you maintain a positive attitude towards all things around you. After all, we live in a society filled with diversity. To survive here, one needs to accept everyone else as he/she is.
In being open-minded you find value in all kinds of different people, events and circumstances. You demonstrate a willingness to embrace an array of possibilities, opportunities, thoughts, views, suggestions and experiences outside of your normal repertoire. You push yourself to do what others believe to be impossible. This is how you attain success while the less resourceful give up on their dreams. Stretch out of your comfort zone and expand your thinking. As you stretch yourself you discover things which greatly improve your business, and ideas which help you bypass current obstacles standing in your way.
Be interested in new things and new ways how to do things.
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Adapt to new situations
Darwin said: “The ones that adapt survive, not the ones that are the strongest.” Resourceful people turn challenges into advantages. Do something outside of the box. Something unexpected. If you’re asking “What if I fail?” I’ll answer: “Congrats! You found a new way how it doesn’t work. Try again!”
A lot of successful entrepreneurs or people in general, share something in common. They want something and they just figure it out. Sometimes we think we should think about ourselves as a unique snowflake, the truth is that most people are very similar. So if you know what you want, you’re able to figure it out without any prior experience in the field. Look at a few examples – Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx).
If you’d like to succeed in life, you’ve got to learn to see things differently. You’ll find opportunities everywhere around you. And don’t worry too much about being original. Just keep trying different ways to solve problems. You might even stumble upon something that works really well. Be a team player and know how to coordinate things, schedules and people and also, be patient.
Take your time to do the research and see the result before moving to the next thing. It’s easy to give up, but not so easy to go through ups and downs and stay focused. Yes, distractions are everywhere and they don’t go away. Focus is key!
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Be persistent.
Resourcefulness is one of those qualities we admire in others, but rarely practice ourselves. We’re often too busy complaining about our problems to solve them. But it’s important to remember that we’re always better off doing something than sitting around waiting for someone else to do it for us.
If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic, you know how frustrating it can be. And if you’ve ever tried to find a parking spot, you know how impossible it can seem. So why do we feel like giving up so easily? Because we’re afraid of failing.
We fear failure because we think it means we won’t achieve success. But the truth is that most people fail at least once before achieving success. In fact, it’s part of being successful. You just have to keep moving forward no matter how many times you fall down. And if failure is a word you don’t like (neither do I!), you can reframe it as: “another way that didn’t work out” or “a new lesson learned”. As my favourite business coach James Wedmore says: “Your success is inevitable!”
So here’s the thing: When you face adversity, you’ll probably fail a few times. But if you stick with it long enough, you’ll eventually win. And when you do, you’ll look back and realize you had a lot of failures along the way.
I’m sure there are plenty of people out there reading this article who want to start their own businesses, switched careers or start a family. Maybe you’re already on that journey or you’re just thinking about it one someday. Well, let me tell you: Failure isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. And even talking about family, as a woman myself, kids don’t always happen on the first try! And if we weren’t persistent and courageous, we wouldn’t be a family of 4 I always dreamt of.
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Look for the common good
Resourceful people recognize that they are part of something bigger than themselves. And they know that there are things they can do to make life better for everyone else. They don’t just think about what’s best for themselves; they consider what’s best for society as a whole. This helps them build relationships across groups and find ways to work together toward common goals.
Meanwhile, people generally want to be helpful, especially when they see how others might benefit from their efforts. But most of us aren’t very good at helping unless we believe that our efforts will actually improve someone else’s situation. So, the more you show people truthfully that by helping you they’ll achieve their goals, the more willing they’ll be to work with you.
This is why resourceful people often say that they’re looking for the “common good,” because they understand that the greater good is ultimately served by making sure everyone benefits from their actions.
Finally, successful resourceful people are able to convince others that they’re worth trusting. While some people are naturally trustworthy, many others need convincing. If you can demonstrate that you’re open to being helped by others, you’ll gain trust quickly.
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Analyze and reflect
It’s essential to take your time to see what’s working and what’s not as you likely gathered from the whole article.
What are your tips on how to be resourceful? I’d love to hear from you!
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