I AM ... Resourceful
Coaching Tip #63
The human spirit is strong. When we are faced with adversity, we find a way to adapt and move forward. Some may term this ability resilience, and it is certainly an important aspect of staying strong, but I would also argue and encourage you to consider your ability to be resourceful.
Resourcefulness may be the lesser-known cousin of resilience, but it is no less important. Defined as the ability to overcome problems or to make do with what is available to create a solution, this is an acquired strength that needs to both be named and be recognized. Finding your way to adapt to your challenges, both big and small, builds self-confidence, opens doors to opportunity and challenges out of the box thinking.
What do I mean by that? As we go about our day, we solve many problems using the resources available at hand. But do we stop and think about this as being resourceful? Probably not. We act as we must, and then move on. However, by naming and recognizing this ability to be resourceful in small tasks, when you experience a larger, more stressful challenge, you will have a deep belief that yes, you can handle this. And that matters.
I want you to acknowledge and cultivating your own ability to be resourceful. It will give you a sense of internal strength, a belief that you can handle whatever life throws at you. Given our last 12 months, as well as the uncertainty that always lies in front of us, I want to challenge you to do 3 things over the next few days.
Recognize and write down a situation (or several) where you were resourceful in the past 12 months. Put the details down. Include the circumstances and how you felt and acted in this challenging time. How did you overcome the problem at hand and use what was available to you to create a solution?
Notice over the next few days a situation where you used this strength of resourcefulness. Think about a small challenge and how you shifted that into an opportunity. It may be something in your professional life or in your personal life. It matters not. The goal of this is simply an awareness and then a recognition. After writing this down, stop and journal how you feel.
Encourage a colleague, a friend, a family member, a teenager or a child to use this strength. And when you notice that, name it and acknowledge it. Give them the gift of this term. We too often want to solve someone else’s problem or do someone else’s work. We think we are helping, but this is actually a disservice to that individual. Yes, you may do it faster or better, but this does not encourage their personal development of this critical strength. Make sure the individual knows you are there to support them as needed, but you also have belief in them that they can find a solution.
Believing you are resourceful only makes the ability to be resilient that much easier when challenged. Resilience and Resourcefulness go hand in hand. Make sure you pause and recognize when you notice yourself or others using these strengths. This in turn will further build this muscle, so that when needed, it can be called upon.