Category Archives: Resourcefulness

We are living on the planet as if we have another one to go to

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“We are living on the planet as if we have another one to go to.”

—Terri Swearingen, winner of the 1997 Goldman Environmental Prize

Image from Unsplash by NASA

At our current consumption rates, Earth’s natural resources are at significant risk of depletion over the next 100 years. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas could be exhausted by 2060 if current trends continue.

Water resources are also under threat, with global demand projected to increase by 50% by 2050.

Additionally, mineral and ore consumption may triple by 2050, putting further strain on the availability of building materials and resources for developing technology products.

EXERCISE:

Given that there is no “Planet B” and moving all of us to Mars is not a viable option, what can you do today to make an impact for the good of our precious world?

Consider signing up to The Daily Difference Newsletter to see what others around the world are doing.

When is it time to let go or give up so that you can begin something new

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When is it time to let go or give up so that you can begin something new?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Amazon

Where do you currently feel stalled or stuck in your life? How are you wrestling with the sunk cost of time, effort, and resources where your pivoting is just not paying off? How can you tell when it’s time to quit and when to stick things out?

An approach that has served me over the years is the HHG method. This acronym stands for Head, Heart, and Gut.

In most cases, when I evaluate my endeavors through these three filters, I can move on or stay the course with greater confidence.

EXERCISE:

Try the HHG method for yourself and let me know what you discover. I also recommend Seth Godin’s classic book “The Dip” as a resource to explore in times of potential transition.

“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.”

 

 

 

 

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.’”

 

 

 

 

“Your mind is for having…”

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

—David Allen, American productivity consultant & author

QC #756Among the books I recommend most often to clients who are challenged with managing their professional and personal time is Getting Things Done by David Allen.

One of the critical insights I derived from his work was the idea that too many people use their minds and memories to hold too much information. It turns out that doing so makes most of us far less productive and also causes overwhelming feelings and considerable stress. Perhaps that is why the subtitle of this valuable book is “the art of stress-free productivity.”

EXERCISE:

Please pick up and study Getting Things Done, and do whatever you can to “have” ideas, but “hold” them in memory-keeping or commitment-keeping technologies, where they will be available to you in the moments you plan to work on them.

“I’m no longer sure what the question is…”

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

—Leonard Bernstein, American composer, conductor, author, and pianist

Photo from Flickr by Valerie Everett

Photo from Flickr by Valerie Everett

One of my favorite and longest standing clients – a man named Stephen – was recently on vacation. This may not ordinarily be remarkable except that he and his family were in Antarctica. On Facebook he posted the ultimate “Ice Bucket Challenge,” by jumping into the frigid waters of the Antarctic Ocean.

How many of us would have said “Yes” to such an experience?

Stephen and I have worked together for 19 years. I admire and respect his “Yes!” attitude and intention to be fully alive.

EXERCISE:

Examine the opportunities that lie in front of you today, professionally and personally. Where would saying “Yes” and leaping into your own life waters help you live an even more extraordinary life?

Consider picking up a copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, to explore the writings of Donald Miller,  another individual who chose to say “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.