Trent RhodesHow would you define the ultimate resource?
“Resourcefulness” is such a buzzword. We know it when we see it and yet it can still have this aloof nature. To be resourceful sounds like a positive trait. And when venturing into entrepreneurship, resourcefulness is one of the word’s closest relatives. But why?
What exactly is resourcefulness?
Aside from grit, energy, raw intelligence (and that wonderful process we call neuro-plasticity that lets us mold our brains how we want or don’t want), and epigenetics (that beautiful new science that proves our environments trigger genes on or off daily), resourcefulness is like that diamond that keeps having dirt thrown on it but keeps glistening. It’ll continue to shine no matter what new life or business hack tries to overshadow it.
Resourcefulness is about doing more with less. And sometimes doing something with nothing. And even more times creating out of thin air.
One of the most frequent challenges I’ve seen among college students is this capacity to be resourceful. And this poses more of a challenge when there’s abundant resources available, like the Internet for knowledge and everlasting how-to programs.
Example: The Business Card
Let’s say I need to produce cards and have little money to use. Moo.com might be out of my price range although the card quality is exceptional. I really want Moo cards but can’t afford right now. Do I say, “Sorry I’m not going to have cards?” or find another way?
Option two is Vistaprint, which offers more cards per price. But I’m still not able to invest the money to do it. This takes away my second option. Do I say, “I quit. I’ll wait until I have enough money to buy Moo cards?” or find another way?
Let’s say I have a huge event coming up, a very important event that would serve me if I had some cards to share. Or, let’s say I needed to start getting my name out there right now. Just in the local area so people can know what I’m doing. I know that I can buy a pack of business card paper from Staples, that Microsoft Word has a business card template, and that if I mix the two with some brainpower, I can create a card design on Word and print out the cards from a local machine. I then have basic cards to practice giving to people. And when I can afford more advanced cards, I’ll upgrade and give my contacts the new version. Point is: have to start somewhere.
The solution was found not in the materials, but in how to think about getting something done. There are numerous examples like this, such as:
Building You, Inc.
Combining the right tools available, both free and minimal cost investment, we can all build a You, Inc. platform.
I’m building my You, Inc. right now.
When I’ve given class presentations and held one-on-one meetings, I emphasize the necessity to build the creative path along with the career path. We have a unique opportunity today to cultivate both dimensions of our vocation simultaneously. There are plenty of resources available to help us build a platform from a single device.
The career path highlights those professional development skills that make us more valuable in organizational life. We build a resume, acquire skills, learn how to interview, learn how to become an asset in an organization instead of just another employee and move up the company ladder.
The creative path focuses on developing a platform that we can govern without organizational ceilings. This channel’s only limit is the amount of effort and creativity we put into it. The results aren’t immediate nor are they guaranteed, but the input (our ROI) is directly influenced by our output (effort). This means we have the power to direct our creative path and define our You, Inc. without a manager or job telling us what to do, how to do it. We can choose to cultivate an audience apart from our work and elevate beyond a formal job promotion.
I give you the Library Beast.
This freebie includes a portion of my years of research into sources that breed efficiency. Book recommendations, productivity links and digital mentors are all included. Choose what you like. I believe just 5% of Library Beast will help you think differently and realize you can do what’s been trapped in your imagination.
iSuperThink.com is set to fill in the space between the self-learner and the how-to. It’s a matter of mindset, inner cultivation and how to use the environment to advantage.
Way too often I notice motivational gurus talking about how to be and leave little talking space for tangible resources to manifest those motivations. Just my intuition: some of these gurus purposely leave out the actual tools and resources to accomplish things aside from their own products, which don’t always provide tangible resources, only more motivational content.
One of the common struggles my clients and students tell me is they have the drive, the energy but feel stuck because they don’t know how to do something.
“Where do I start?”
“What do I do?”
“How do I?”
Did you know you could start charging people, today, on the spot for your talents with the Square card?
Or, you could take classes for free by some of the top schools with Coursera? Skip paying 2 grand for a course when you can learn it here.
Or you could make your own protein shakes by buying the actual ingredients at nuts.com and skip paying too much at the deli?
Or, you could learn about how to maintain what little privacy you have at edenpress?
Library Beast cuts through that mystery and lays out multiple sources you can start with today, most of them for free. And the Beast is free.
Download your copy here.
Useful? Let me know your thoughts.
