There is always so much around us – all the time – stuff that begs to be discovered and used by us…. And, so often, we simply don’t see it; or if we ‘see’ it we don’t realize that it’s ours for the taking. There are opportunities we miss, experiences we avoid, people we don’t engage with and ‘no’s’ that stop us – instead of inspiring us. What if it’s true that everything we ‘need’ is right here – right now? What if you actually saw your world that way? What if you stopped ‘seeking’ stuff and let the ‘finder’ in you take charge? What if your awareness was so BIG and so broad that you recognized the resources around you and used them? Are you smiling yet?
Years ago, when I worked and coached at a wonderful company called Process Prodigy, my focus was on creating systems to make our clients’ lives easier and their businesses more profitable. The systems were the proverbial ‘giving them the fish to eat for a day’. But of even more value was teaching them to recognize and reign in resources that they didn’t even know they had. Now they could “eat for a lifetime”!
Our clients learned how to delegate when there was seemingly no one to delegate to, to use systems to get more done in less time, and generally how to create a better life and build a more profitable business using whatever was available! First, of course, though I’m not sure that I realized it at the time, people had to learn to “see” and identify the resources around them.
And it was that ‘history’ of mine that led me to this blog… to identify the ‘steps’ I’ve used to become aware of the amazing resources I have. Now it’s time to share some of them with you!
- As usual, the first step is AWARENESS. I expect to find resources, so I’m constantly looking for them, open to them and noticing possibilities and opportunities at every turn of my head. It might be a penny on the street (walked on and over by countless others), a for-sale sign, or a new acquaintance that ‘knows somebody who knows somebody’; all are potential resources. All are on my radar.
- Although I hesitate to use the term ‘think outside the box’, it is what I do. I take little at ‘face value’ and ponder (there’s a word we don’t use very often) what else could that be used for or what else could that mean?
- It’s formulate the questions time! I know that my brain, my always busy mind, is my GREATEST RESOURCE so I use it – I ‘google’ it – with a barrage of open ended, positively formed questions and wait for the answers to start flowing. They always do…
- I love the California lottery slogan, “you can’t win if you don’t play”… so I play! Commonly heard from my lips: “Let’s give it a shot! Let’s make it happen! Sounds good to me! I’m IN! Let’s do this thing!”
- ASK!!! I don’t hesitate to ask – anyone… anything! I ask for help. I ask for suggestions. I ask for what I want. I ask for what I need. It’s amazing how supportive Universe and its inhabitants can be! Asking gets me so much! might be the perfect parking spot or (and I swear this really happened) a huge discount on a new car…sometimes it’s a new client, much needed information or a date. It’s even gotten me the mentor of my dreams!
- NO isn’t the end. It is not a stop sign for me. I see a “NO” simply as an opportunity to get creative and try something else. There is no failure for me. When something doesn’t ‘work’ I get inspired and fired up. There’s always another way…
- I VALUE the resources I have and I’m GRATEFUL for them all. It’s not unusual to hear me thank my car (who’s name, by the way, is ‘Coach’) for getting me safely and comfortably from place to place. The people in my life are amazing. I know it and I let them know it, too. Even when I am feeling ‘technologically challenged’ there is gratitude for all that technology affords me.
Money, time, people, ideas, tools; all the resources I have… I am grateful and humbled by their magnitude and magnificence!
Want more? Are you ready to create your own system for reigning in your multitude of resources? That’s the topic this week on Motivate and Activate, your source (make that RESOURCE) for weekly Coaching and Conversation. (More info and registration details at: https://whatdoisaywhatdoido.com)