The text arrived Sunday morning from our contractor, Andy, who was working on the outside of our home the previous day that said, “I think we tripped the breaker at the house yesterday.”
I was out with a girlfriend for lunch, and Warren was at a cottage with a buddy. I had the house entirely to myself for the weekend and had many plans to get things done, but naturally, a girlfriend who offered lunch on a Saturday instantly became a higher priority.
When I got home Saturday afternoon, I realized the breaker was triggered as I had no power in the house. I fixed it in less than 30 seconds.
My response to Andy was, “I’m one of these annoyingly independent women who can take care of virtually anything I sent my mind to.” He responded, saying, “Good for you!”
[ctt template=”3″ link=”Bb8cc” via=”yes” ]Is being resourceful a rare trait? Are you resourceful?[/ctt]
Really? Is being a resourceful person that big of a deal? Fixing a tripped breaker is not anything that caused any hesitation; I knew exactly what to do. As I started tearing apart the family room to paint, I had to patch some marks and move a few heavier things than I could lift. I figured it out. It would never occur to me to wait until Warren got home. I’m resourceful!
I do know that most of my friends are the same way, but not all of them. I understand that some wouldn’t even try to figure things out and wait until someone else did the task for them.
That’s not me. It’s not me when it comes to my personal life and getting things done, nor is it me in the office. I figure stuff out!
When Warren and I were dating, I had just taken possession of my new home and had set up the fridge water line and ice maker. I couldn’t figure out how to install the dishwasher and had to ask for help. He had a real look at who Rhonda was and realized the “knight in shining armor” wasn’t what I was looking for.
Sometimes my resourcefulness and independence annoys Warren, and sometimes it doesn’t. It never annoys me but makes me wonder why everyone isn’t like that. What makes a resourceful person?
1. Confidence. If someone else knows how to do something, then clearly I can learn too. I have confidence in my ability to learn. It never occurs to me that my gender, age, or education would get in the way of me learning how to do something. If there are instructions (Youtube is a fabulous resource), I have complete confidence in figuring it out.
2. Creative. I know I can learn, and I know that I am creative enough to figure out a workaround if the instructions I have don’t exactly work.
I am the type of cook who looks at a recipe but doesn’t follow it nor measure anything. I have had some fantastic results and some flops, but it doesn’t stop me from being resourceful in the kitchen. Since I’ve realized that I am allergic to gluten, it requires me to adjust recipes all the time. My creativity helps me be resourceful. Creativity gives me options.
Imagine your executive needs something delivered to a client immediately, and the courier would be too slow. You can be creative and come up with other options to ensure the item gets there in time. Would you even doubt your ability to do it (confidence) or your ability to find a workable solution (creativity)?
3. Persistent. To be resourceful, you have to be persistent. Don’t give up. Keep figuring out alternatives to get done what you need to get done. When you get a “no” from one source, turn the other direction and look for the “yes” you do need.
Back when I was traveling, Liz would take care of booking all my travel. She was incredibly resourceful when it came to my hotel bookings. Liz would call the hotel directly (instead of through the central booking lines) and explain what she wanted for me. She was very specific (which you could not be through an online portal or central booking line) so that I had some pretty nice hotels booked (and was never near the noisy elevator). Many times when I arrived, the front desk clerk would comment on how friendly Liz was and how concerned she was that I had a great room. She was persistent in dealing with the hotel to ensure I was treated exceptionally well. I miss that!
[ctt template=”3″ link=”Djv0k” via=”yes” ]If you are resourceful you will stand out from the crowd. Are you resourceful?[/ctt]
Being resourceful is a trait that not all people have, but those that are resourceful stand out from the rest.
