Tag Archives: resourcefulness

“See limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative.”

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“See limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative.”

—Joshua Becker, Founder of Becoming Minimalist

Image from Unsplash by Jr Korpa

Growing up my family lived in a very modest row house in Philadelphia. My dad was a physical education teacher and my mom worked as a receptionist at Temple University Hospital.

The majority of our summers were spent at Camp Indian Lake in the Pocono Mountains, where my dad happily worked as the camp’s director. On hot summer days when we were home and before school was back in session, we were always looking for things to do. One day when I must have been getting on my mom’s last nerve, she handed me a plastic bucket filled with water and an old paint brush and told me to go outside and paint the cement wall and driveway out back. Given the scorching heat it took less than a minute for the water to evaporate and offer me another blank canvas for my artistic pursuits.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can and do your see limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative? Please reply to this post to share some examples from your own life that bring a smile to your face.

Friday Review: Resourcefulness

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Friday Review: Resourcefulness

How resourceful are you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

“Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.”

 

 

 

“I not only use the brains I have, I use all the brains I can borrow.”

 

 

 

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

 

 

 

 

Our life is to be like a river, not a reservoir

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“Our life is to be like a river, not a reservoir.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a flowing river

Image from Unsplash by Nathan Anderson

Potential energy versus kinetic energy… what’s the difference? How do these concepts relate to dams and the generation of hydroelectric power?

What are other examples in our society in which we amass a resource because it represents a reservoir of potential power? If you need a clue, consider looking at the stock exchange, the commodities market, or even your kitchen pantry.

The key to success is the flow, trade, exchange, and movement of these resources that actually turns the gears of society to hopefully better the world for all of us.

EXERCISE:

Consider picking up a copy of Lynne Twist’s book, The Soul of Money, to examine the importance of the flowing nature of this man-made tool to better our world.

Where else would living life like a river and not a reservoir lead to greater happiness and success?

How Well You Bounce

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“Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.”

—Tigger, The House at Pooh Corner

Image of Tigger and Ior

Image from disney.com

Running fast and climbing high are definitely part of any success journey. They represent the positive and affirming aspects of achievement and progress.

On the other hand, setbacks, stumbles, and outright failures beset us all. Quite often, we get the wind knocked out of us, leaving us reluctant to get up and bounce back into the game.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what issues do you need to be more “Tigger-like,” and bounce back to gain greater resiliency in your world?

Friday Review: Resourcefulness

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FRIDAY REVIEW: RESOURCEFULNESS

How resourceful are you? Here are a few resourcefulness-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”

 

 

 

“I not only use the brains I have, I use all the brains I can borrow.”

 

 

 

 

“I’m no longer sure what the question is, but I do know that that answer is ‘Yes.’”

 

 

 

 

What Weighs You Down

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“It is hard to fly when something is weighing you down.”

– Unknown

weighing

My health club is one of the largest in the region. It includes all the regular exercise facilities you might expect, plus some extras such as tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, and even a climbing wall.

I’ve noticed some of the fittest and most competitive athletes adding extra weights to their ankles or waists, to weigh themselves down and make their normal athletic efforts even more difficult.

When they remove them and are no longer weighted down, they experience a lightness and an added strength that lets them fly a bit higher and further.

Exercise:

Identify the circumstances and issues that weigh you down.

How can you use these personal and professional challenges as a resource to build your capacity to fly once you remove them completely from your life?

The Brains I can Borrow

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“I not only use the brains I have, I use all the brains I can borrow.”

– Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

We have all heard the phrase, “two heads are better than one.” Research on this subject demonstrates this is a general truism in which there is a high degree of openness and communication regarding individual perspective and points of view.

However, in cases where this openness and collaborative communication is missing, or less than optimal, more brains can actually produce worse results.

Exercise:

Consider picking up a copy of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats to support both your own individual and group collective thinking.

This is a great example of putting on your thinking cap (or hat). 😉

Reply to this message if you’d like a one-page summary of de Bono’s tool.

“The highest reward for a person’s toil… “

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“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”

– John Ruskin, 19th century English artist and philanthropist

PROGRESS 1
I am a work in progress. How about you? With the wide variety of daily experiences we all have, I believe that we are constantly evolving and becoming a fuller expression of ourselves.

We all work each day to earn the compensation that allows us to care for ourselves and others. Ruskin’s quote, however, points to the less recognized and often subtle developments that accompany such experiences.

Exercise:

Explore how your daily efforts further your journey toward more fulfilling relationships, enhance creativity, expand greater self-esteem, support vibrant health, and extend your pursuit of wisdom.

How are you going beyond your basic psychological and physiological needs to pursue your own self-actualization? Consider Googling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to explore this concept in more depth.