Master Resourcefulness to Solve Any Problem

We are all familiar with conversations or thoughts that start with the phrase, “If I only had X, I could do this thing I really want to do”. Well sis, this is not a rabbit hole we’re going down today. You have what you need to take the very next step towards your dream or your goal that you’re thinking about as you read this. I’m here to help you realize that and see how to take action on it!

Maybe not all resources are limitless, and perhaps some are harder to access. Whether that’s getting the funding that you desperately need for your business, skills that you don’t have (yet), or 50 clones of yourself, there’s seems to always be a missing piece.  

Consider the founder that doesn’t have any money to fund their big idea but they still built a company that became successful. Or what about the kid from that small town in the middle of what’s-that-place that went on to be a top NFL player. These stories don’t always start with resources, but somehow, they end up resource-full. Yours can too.

Limitations are stepping stones to innovation. We’re going to dive into thinking about your resources differently and how to lean in to make real progress. Whether you feel like you don’t have enough creativity, soft skills, technical skills, or whatever it is, we’re here to overcome that!

Resourcefulness is Resilience

Both of these are a muscle that you can build – and lose. 

Let’s talk resiliency. It’s a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot and can be mistaken for just muscling through hard times in an unhealthy way. That is not what we’re talking about here. 

We’re talking about keeping your hope. We’re talking about getting up and over every roadblock even if you have to creatively find your way in, through, over, around, or under it. You know your why, so hold on to it tighter. Let it be what strengthens you. 

Resiliency means that you are strong, yes, but it also means you recover quickly. Don’t let whatever is standing in your way stifle your innovative ways to sell, new ideas on how to build your community, or crush what you want to accomplish. You may need to pivot, try new things, and work differently, but that’s what builds this muscle. 

It forces you to think again about what you thought you needed to get to where you want to be. Maybe you don’t need that workflow, that employee, or even that business partner. It doesn’t mean the dream it dead. It means it will come down a different path than you thought. And that is okay! Sometimes that’s better. 

Don’t fall into the trap of disqualifying yourself because something is hard. Evaluate your options and decide if you’ve left any stone unturned. Are you cancelling any of your options for valid reasons?

Don’t be the one that gets in the way of your own goals. 

The difference in being resourceful and not being resourceful is this – critical thinking in action. There are existing resources all around you.

It’s a matter of being able to identify them and find a way to leverage them to achieve an outcome. 

Resourcefulness is Effectiveness

It’s also savvy problem-solving. Have you ever heard someone say, “wow, they’re so resourceful”, or read “must be resourceful” in a job description? It’s also known as “scrappy”, or “operates in ambiguity”. You get the idea.

Think about founders like Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She started with $5,000 from her savings account and bootstrapped her way to a multi-million dollar company. She didn’t have everything when she started out – she had to work hard and figure out how to do what no one had done before. 

What exactly does it all mean, and why is it relevant to you?

If you want to solve problems, you need to use what you have available in a way that makes sense. For example, if Sara Blakely had $5,000 to start her business, she probably wasn’t spending it on the latest technology. She was concerned with maximizing and stretching all $5,000 of those dollars to go as far as they would take her. Every dollar needed to be the rocket ship to take her to each next step required to get to the next level of her dream. 

How you use your resources is just as – if not more – important than having the actual resources themselves. Your ability to find deals is great, and how you optimize the ways those deals will work for you is the next level.  

Use that creative thinking and take initiative to try new things before you are forced to do them. Try potential solutions before you actually need them to work (there’s free trials for just about everything, and a free resource for just about every paid one). 

As we move onto the next point, remember that you are not alone in this. 

Resourcefulness is Connection

Community. It’s a big deal. It can shape who you are, how you think, and how you do things. That’s why so much wisdom out there talks about taking a look at the people you interact with the most. They have a very real impact on you!

I have no doubt that you have access to people who can

• Help you think about ways to overcome your current (or future) challenges
• Offer different perspectives on new approaches you might consider
• Share tangible tactics from their experience or connect you with their available resources

If you don’t, then there are a myriad of ways to reach out to people to seek mentorship. The internet and things like this article are really great for self-learning, but one of the greatest wells of knowledge are the people around you. 

You are not meant to figure everything out on your own – the world is simply not designed that way. I get it – you want to prove something to yourself or other people, and there are truly some things you do really have to do yourself. 

Don’t forget the people around you who want to help you and can help you get where you’re going, faster. 

If you read or listen to any stories of founders or talk to very successful people in general, they will likely tell you the people around them helped them. Their network. Their community. Their mentors.

I’m adding on to the list from above just to drive home this point. Having the right people supporting you can also

• Help you streamline and reduce your learning curve 
• Connect you with other people and make introductions
• Inspire you and encourage you when you can’t do it yourself (don’t underestimate this last point)

Take a look at your connections and see who you can reach out to today – seriously. You don’t need to reach out to everyone – just pick one or two. If you don’t have anyone in your current network or community that you think would help, try anyways. Then, start to identify the type of person you want to talk to.

Put yourself in new situations, find creative ways to interact with the type of people you want to be around or those who can help you.  

People love to help other people (okay not always, but typically). Every time I’ve been afraid to reach out to someone but finally did – either cold messages or haven’t-talked-to-you-in-ages contacts – no one has every said no. (I have reached out to a lot of people). If they do say no or don’t respond, keep moving! 

If you’re afraid to do it, welcome to the party. Do it anyways!

The Skills Section

Start With What You Know

You do not need to go to school, read a book, or get a certificate to be qualified as resourceful. You also do not need to have special knowledge, have a title, or be in a particular field to be known as resourceful. Whether you’re facing something in your personal life or workplace, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and out of options. 

With everything we’ve said, it’s also important to remember that being resourceful is not necessarily just not taking ‘no’ for an answer. It’s moving the needle closer to a solution to whatever you’re facing, even if it’s not the one you expected. Contrary to what others may say, you can start moving the needle, now. 

Think about it like this – if you have an obstacle between you and the thing you want to accomplish or have, what is the next immediate step that would get you closer to that thing?

That is where you start. That is where you list out all the things you know that can can answer that single question.

When you break it down really simply, it makes it much easier to think of everything available to you. 

Here are some examples of questions you can ask yourself:

• What would need to be true for this option to be a ‘yes’?
• What is needed to make that thing true?
• Do I know someone, or do I know someone who knows someone (hello, network effect), who could help troubleshoot, connect, or brainstorm this?
• What would get me closer to a ‘yes’ even if it’s not there yet?

Remember, the answer you move forward with to get things done might not be what you expected.

A Ripple Effect

It’s great to talk about all of this, but how does it become repeatable, and how can you build it over time? Great question. 

This is the part where people like to throw out buzzwords. Founders might call this a “mental model”, consultants like to call these “frameworks”, and interviewers like to call it your “problem solving approach”.

Seriously, it’s all the same. Keep it simple, and keep it effective for you.

If you make a process work for you, then you will repeat it. It will become systematic to find solutions, at least the beginning of how you start solving every problem. This is what will help you overcome the initial overwhelm. 

The questions I shared above are great starter places, but here is a more extensive list that might give you a place to start:

1. Expand your Mindset

Sounds fluffy, I know, but I’m serious. We all tend to box ourselves in because we think a certain way at work, with the people we’re around, or because of what we listen to. Press pause on it all and let your mind loosen up a bit.

• Cultivate a growth mindset by recognizing the challenge in front of you and believing there is a solution. 
• Depending on who you are, you may need to go workout, go for a walk in nature, or play a game. 

Keep something available to jot down the thoughts that come by not forcing it.

2. Embrace Constraints

Well that sounds weird. 

Constraints are not cages; they’re the weight to build stronger muscles. By identifying and listing these out, they become less overwhelming and abstract. You can tackle them more easily by naming them.

Once you’ve done that, define what would need to be true in order to move forward. Outline your next step to tackle the options available to make this next step ‘true’. 

3. Connect and Collaborate

We spent a lot of time on this, and yes, I know I basically told you to network. That puts way too much pressure on this. Think outside of the box – this could be a coffee connect, a run with a group, or something else that does not involve standing in a stuffy room with a name tag or sending awkward messages on LinkedIn.

Don’t try to do it alone – that’s the opposite of being resourceful. Build and leverage a community of diverse skillsets and perspectives.

Please don’t forget to tell them “thank you”.

4. Experiment Fearlessly

A sure way to know if something is going to work is to try it. I feel like that’s pretty simple, but how many of us stay stuck in our heads about things? (I’m guilty). 

Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail spectacularly. If you are afraid, then set some parameters, and try anyways. Each “failure” is a valuable lesson on the path to mastering everything we’ve talked about so far.

Edison didn’t invent the light bulb on his first try. He found 1,000 ways to fail – can you beat him?

Resourcefulness is your Superpower

Resourcefulness is your superpower—the art of making the most of what you have, adapting, and thriving in any circumstance.

It’s the creative spark that turns a paperclip into a tool, a setback into a setup, and scarcity into sufficiency.

Buckle up for the journey, and remember, limitations are mere stepping stones to innovation.

What are you going to go tackle after reading this, and how will you measure your progress?