One of the most common challenges people face is a lack of money. We often experience a crunch of resources when we are pursuing our projects. We need money to start businesses, fund our projects, feed ourselves and many other things. It is a mission-critical resource. We need to leverage every available resource to achieve success in any pursuit. But most of us always seem to be lacking them, while others always seem to have them in abundance. Why is this? If we are to believe what Tony Robbins says, it’s not about the resources; it’s about your resourcefulness.
I have written about this before as well. On the surface, it appears to be an excellent quote inspiring people to be creative in their pursuits. I didn’t realize then how true it rings in life and what it means to be resourceful. We may experience a hopeless situation anytime in life, but a resourceful person can make the best of it.
I watched the movie “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks. In the film, Viktor (Hanks) gets stuck at JFK airport in New York City because of a political situation back home. His country is no longer recognized, so he has no passport and no money with him. The authorities gave him food coupons which accidentally ended up in the trash. The snacks he carries last for the day, but he needs food the next day. As he continues to live at the airport, he sees that passengers can collect 25 cents from a machine near the trolley spot for every trolley they bring into the right place. He brings in each trolley the passengers leave lying around and collects a quarter for each trolley. He takes whatever money he collects to Burger King and buys whatever meal he can afford.
Knowing that actual events inspire the film, I realized something like this could happen, however unlikely it may seem. Viktor was a resourceful person. He made the best of a bad situation and did what he needed to do to survive in that situation. I thought about what I would have done in that situation and admitted I would have given up.
Resourcefulness is not just about how you use the resources you are given but also how you generate new resources to use in your pursuits. In situations that aren’t as unlikely as Viktor’s, we would do well to think beyond the conventional means of raising funds or utilizing our time or anything else we may find in short supply.
Viktor spoke some dialect of Russian and understood very little English. He educates himself by reading travel guides at night. He holds the manual in English; on the other hand, he has the same manual in Russian. He spends nine months at the airport, so the movie is riddled with examples showing the character’s resourcefulness.
You waste our time and energy cribbing about the situations which arise unexpectedly and catch us unprepared. You will think about why you are stuck in that situation instead of thinking about the way forward. The question one must ask is, “What now? What can I do about this situation?”
The lessons I learned about being resourceful came in handy when I lived in France for two years. I encountered a lot of situations for the first time. My instinct was to get stuck on why am I finding myself in these situations and who can I ask for help. I felt helpless but soon realized that no one was coming to help me. I needed to change my mindset and ask what I could do about the situation.
Being resourceful helps in a business context as well. You know where you are and where you want to go. If your business is struggling and you are determined to get out of the situation. It bodes well to understand that multiple ways to reach the destination exist. The proverb “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” applies here.
It’s easy to make excuses and think things would be better if the circumstances were more favorable. Great leaders know that situations can evolve instantly and need to adapt. Sometimes you need to think unconventionally and find new ways to move forward. It’s not about your resources; it’s about how you use what you have at your disposal.