Resourcefulness Is the Greatest Resource

 
 

“Resourcefulness is the cure to failure. Successful people are resourceful and find a way to make it work. ”_Tony Robbins

 

Wherever we are right now, and whatever our past may be, I believe we still have the capacity to accomplish our dreams, if we take inspiration from remarkable stories of success that we hear about all the time.

One of such stories is that of Ev Williams who founded Blogger and co-founded Twitter and then, the successful writing platform: Medium.

He achieved such series of impressive successes despite the fact that he had to live on his friend couch at a time in his life.

He became an inspiration to millions because he had the courage to bet on himself when things were bleak and he might have personally felt like a failure.

That’s why I think resourcefulness is the greatest resource.

Another inspiring story of resourcefulness is that of J. K Rowling who turned out to be the first author in history to earn more than $1 billion from writing novels.

She somehow reached the top of the literary world even though she had to live on welfare to survive for a while. She made a remarkable lemonade out of bitter lemon because she chose resourcefulness over lamentations.

Instead of despair in the face of failure and disappointments, she chose to take charge of what was within her power. She expressed herself this way: “Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

You see, it’s all about being resourceful. And that begins with making a decision for a change and then following that decision with firm commitment to follow-through no matter what.

Yes, we don’t control the circumstances that life deals us, but we do control the response we direct towards those circumstances.

In other words, no matter how bad things may be at the present, hopelessness and resourcefulness are two potential choices. And, it is up to no one but us to make an empowering choice.

So, I dare you to choose wisely from now onward.

Resilience

 

“Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But you keep going.”

Yasmin Mogahed

 

We all have a way of framing what we experience in life.

Some of us tend to see the cup as half-full and those are called, the optimists and others tend to see it as half-empty and those are called, the pessimists.

However, if we desire to be more resilient in our day-to-day lives, we need to actively choose optimism and do away with all brands of pessimism, even during our darkest moments of trial and tribulations.

By doing so, we would bounce back from any challenging circumstances and negative events with class and courage that will surprise not only us but also everyone around us.

In the words of an American author of ‘Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gift of Facing Life’s Adversities’ Elizabeth Edwards. She defines it thus:

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good.”

Resilience is what enables the Bamboo tree to withstand the vicissitudes of times without breaking under the stress. With resilience, Bamboo can bend with the wind and adapt to the severest of weather conditions.

Even better than the tree and animals, we as intelligent beings have the ability to bounce back from the most difficult of times, if we have the unshakable will to thrive in the midst of chaos.

The seeds of our resilience are planted in the way we process the situations we face. Therefore, we should focus on what we can change, accept what we can’t change and make the most of the moment at hand.

In his book, ‘Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life,’ Dr. Phil aims to fuel your spirit of resilience by reminding you that:

“You can love, lose and survive. You can fall to your knees and cry in pain. You can feel a horrible, crippling emptiness, yet recover and fill yourself up again.”

 

To Develop Your Resilience, Temper Negativity with Wisdom

No matter what has happened, we can learn and grow stronger, if we have the right perspective, which is a byproduct of wisdom.

Great value can be gleaned from painful experiences, if we are wise enough to weather the storm with patience.

However, for most of us, this is not an easy thing to do. But those who are able to transcend their painful difficulties are the ones who have learned to tap from the collective wisdom of the ages in form divine wisdom or good books of principles and virtues.

Through study and contemplation, they are transformed. Now, they understand that others in the past (and even in the present) have gone through something far worse than whatever they may be facing. That is what keeps them calm and collected in the midst of their most painful moments.

In this direction, Carol Orsborn, the author of ‘Older, Wiser, Fiercer; the Wisdom Collection’ enlightens us further on the art of resilience. She writes:

“Mastering the art of resilience does much more than restore you to who you once thought you were. Rather, you emerge from the experience transformed into a truer expression of who you were really meant to be.”

You see, true resilience goes beyond surviving our painful difficulties; it includes thriving on because of those painful difficulties.

No wonder, the peak performance expert, Tony Robbins says that: “No one's life is a smooth sail; we all come into stormy weather. But it's this adversity - and more specifically our resilience - that makes us strong and successful.”

In essence, our adversities can become a real advantage, when we decide to master the art of resilience.

Tiny Steps to Audacious Goals

 

“We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.”

Francis Bacon

 

If you’re someone who frequently fails to achieve your ambitious goals, and you assume your goals are just too big to accomplish or it seems something is standing in your way, then this article is written for you.

And the premise of my message for you is that the easiest path to massive results is not the way of massive heroic efforts but the path of tiny and consistent steps.

In other words, when it comes down to achieving our audacious goals, we don’t need to sweat blood to make them happen; we only need to capitalize on the power of small but consistent wins.

Steady progress is a very powerful ally and focusing on progress, no matter how small is a clever guard against the disease of procrastination.

Contrary to the popular notion that massive effort is the best way to massive result; tiny steps are the real secret to lasting success, whether big or small as Louis Sachar, the author of ‘Wayside School series’ observes:

“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward (later).”

For example: If your goal is to reach the planet Mars (over 33,000,000 miles away), and you plan to take massive and unrelenting actions to reach it, the chances are high that you will eventually exhaust yourself with burnouts due to the sheer volume of work involved and its attendant stress.

But if you consider the path of tiny sustainable steps, chances are high that you will keep going, maintain a steady progress until you reach your astronomical target.

In the words of Sheryl Sandberg, the billionaire and COO of Facebook:

“Getting from point A to point Z can be daunting unless you remember that you don’t have to get from A to Z.

You just have to get from A to B. Breaking big dreams into small steps is the way to move forward.”

Hope you notice the point in her last sentence, the way toward progress is the path of tiny steps. The reasoning behind this is quite clear.  We need momentum to achieve big goals, and tiny series of constructive steps is a smart way to kindle the fiery fire of momentum.

In support of this concept, Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University observes:

“There is always a step small enough from where we are to get us to where we want to be.

If we take that small step, there's always another we can take, and eventually a goal thought to be too far to reach becomes achievable.”

Finally, know that the most natural way to achieving a big vision is the path of small, consistent steps. It is how human beings, animals and even trees grow to maturity.

It is the path that will not only make our greatest visions inevitable but also organically grow our self-confidence, self-efficacy and the belief in our personal capacity to make worthwhile things happen.

 

Tap-Tap-Tap (Day-In, Day-Out)

  

“Showing up is essential. Showing up consistently is powerful. Showing up consistently with a positive outlook is even more powerful.”_Jeff Olson

 

John Maxwell, a prolific author who has written several books on the great laws of success and irrefutable principles of leadership once said he personally wouldn’t want to be known for remarkable creativity or superhuman intelligence.

He would rather prefer to be notable for only one thing; a commitment for showing up day after day.

Now if you consider his stand somewhat ridiculous, then please read further to learn what some other masters in their fields say about this simple principle of success.

 

Woody Allen (Academy-award winning movie director) says: “Ninety percent of life is just showing up.”

 

Harvey Mackay (Author of seven New York Times best-selling books) adds: “You can beat 80% of the competition just by showing up.”

 

Stephen Hawking (Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge) concludes: “Half the battle is just showing up.”

 

I hope by now, you can see the importance of showing up, day after day. Indeed, for any serious-minded person, it is a worthy motto to live by.

And it means that when it comes to either ordinary success or extra-ordinary achievements, you don’t focus on superhuman measure of discipline you have to forge into your character but you focus on just showing up for your task every day without fail.

No wonder Paul Budnitz, founder of Kidrobot infers that: “Success is an accident. Showing up (everyday), even if it’s just for 5 minutes, makes us accident-prone.”

For your personal benefit, you should ask yourself the following two questions used by true professionals to know whether you are on track towards your big goals or not:

Do I show up everyday?

Do I show up, no matter what—especially when it is easier not to?

You can use the two question above to strengthen your identity as a truly committed person.

Any intelligent doer can achieve truly remarkable things when he decides to make showing up daily at his game a core priority.

If all we have to do is show up, then it becomes very easy to beat procrastination, which is the number one reason for failure in every walk of life.

Once we overcome procrastination, we’ll easily show up every day to perform our duties, and when we show up everyday on the things that matter, then it is only a matter of time for us to experience the big break that we desire.

Showing up on day one is just the beginning but doing it day after day is where the real power lies. In essence winning is the total sum of our meaningful efforts, repeated day in, day out.

Let me conclude this article with the wisdom of Anne Lamott, the author of, ‘Bird by Bird’ who wrote:

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up (day after day) and do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.”

Tackle the Hardest Thing First

 
 

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”_Henry David Thoreau

 

Last week I wrote about one of the strategies behind the remarkable success of Elon Musk, who is CEO of not just Tesla, but also SpaceX among others innovative pursuits.

With the level of success he has achieved, he deserves our repeated study to learn as much as possible from his invaluable skills and uncommon vision.

Today, we want to glean another tip from him on how he prioritizes his work on a daily basis, which I think is one of the foremost secrets of his exceptional effectiveness.

It is perhaps one of the main reasons behind his extra-ordinary ability to execute and give form to his fantastic ideas.

If you’re interested in how he works smarter than most of us, please read on to learn his dominant tip for maximizing productivity.

He starts his day with the most critical problem he has to solve and then schedules the rest of his day strictly based on priority.

That sentence is probably the greatest productivity skill you will ever find.

And to put it another way, he tackles the hardest task first thing each day and does everything else in their true order of importance.

As the billionaire said in his commencement presentation at the University of Southern California: “Don’t waste your time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better. Focus on signal over noise.”

To understand the practical value of that concept, we need to consider the fact that his once-struggling car company (Tesla) now has a current market capitalization of $525 billion, a staggering worth that is more than the value of both Toyota and General Motors combined.

In this direction, the author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ Stephen Covey tells you to imbibe this critical habit by deciding “what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.’”

You see, we can’t do everything within the very limited time that we have. So, it is smart to focus on the signals and ignore all the noise if we want to make the most of our short stay on earth.

Prioritizing is the key to exceptional productivity. It is how we can ensure that a thing which practically means everything is not inadvertently at the mercy of a thing which may eventually mean nothing.

Intelligent activity is different from living in a frantic state of motion. As the author of Four-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss observes: “If you don't have time, the truth is, you don't have priorities. Think harder; don't work harder.”

By that, he meant to remind us to think carefully and be sure that our chosen priority is actually the thing that truly matters; the thing that actually makes everything else easier.

Finally, know that you can make great things happen in your life and business when you decide to focus on the right priorities.

Therefore, to change your life for the better, you don’t need superhuman measure of self-discipline, but you do need to make a better choice of priority, going forward.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Short-Block of Focused Time— Over Time

  

 

“Stressing output is the key to improving productivity, while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.”

Paul Gauguin

 

 

24 hours are the only time available to everyone of us on earth.

While most people complain they don’t have time to accomplish meaningful things that they desire, few elite professionals tend to achieve remarkable things in the same time span.

So, how can we put ourselves among the latter group?

Please read on if you care for an answer to this important question.

To begin, the case-study person of this article is none other than the iron man in world of innovation, science, technology and productivity: Elon Musk.

Arguably, the most resourceful human alive today.

He is a super-productive thinker who is founding and running multiple revolutionary companies to the amazement of both his friends and his foes.

He is the CEO of space exploration company SpaceX, which has a firmly stated mission of taking humans to Mars among other fantastic places in the solar system.

And the nascent electric car company he cofounded; Tesla Motors is now recognized to be more valuable than the great Toyota motors. Incredible!

And these are not all. Musk currently plays major roles in a number of other huge projects across many sectors to solve interesting problems for the society in which he lives.

With all these in his plate, he is still responsible as a father to five healthy children.

So, I dare to ask myself: how does Musk manage his limited time to accomplish so much when most of us are struggling to run a single company, manage our immediate family or even just to handle our jobs?

If your favorite excuse for making great things happen in your domain has always been ‘I don’t have enough time’ read the following words from the author of ‘Life’s Little Instruction Book,’ H. Jackson Brown, to rethink:

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

Though there are many strategies of effectiveness to learn from Musk, the one we shall focus on today is called timeboxing.

Timeboxing concept is all about allocating a fixed amount of time to an activity in advance and then resolve to complete that activity within that time frame.

Note: many people can say they want to do this but to Musk, it is more than just an intention. It is something he takes very seriously; it is his living philosophy.

Therefore, Musk decides to apportion his entire daily schedule into 5-minute blocks of focused time on many activities throughout his day—one thing at a time.

This enables him to give his undivided attention to one thing at time in a very short span of time, which allows for huge productivity gains due to his uncanny level of concentration on the task at hand.

By focusing on one thing at a time, he avoids the possibility of losing precious time which normally accompanies frequent task switching or multi-tasking that some of us still practice.

Furthermore, small measures of progress help him to maintain momentum throughout the periods of each day. The faster he completed a productive task, the more quickly he develops an attitude of great productivity and high effectiveness.

In essence, Musk has won over the inertia of procrastination and distraction by optimizing for starting through a short window of opportunity for intense concentration and completion of one task after another.

As we can see from the example of Elon Musk, there is a huge power in short blocks of focused time, when one is disciplined enough to stick to the schedule, every single day.

 

Discard Your Bad Habits

 
 

"Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good."_Benjamin Franklin

 

Bad behaviors can be fatal when they become habits. By the same token, good behaviors are invaluable when they become habits.

Good habits accelerate the achievements of our dreams more than anything else. In fact, good habits are the only indispensable key to sticking to any long-term vision, irrespective of external circumstances or our internal mood.

Though, some of our habits are sub-optimal and they are programmed into our lifestyle at a very young age by the influences of our immediate environment. Yet, as intelligent human beings, we have the free will to take charge of any habit that doesn’t contribute to our highest good.

Therefore, when we have enough compelling reasons, we can reprogram ourselves for success by replacing our limiting bad habits with empowering good ones.

Once we realize that what lives is what is fed, we will starve our bad habits to kill them. If we stop indulging in bad habits, and we stop long enough, we will eventually develop good habits. If we remove errors, what’s left is the truth.

In other words, it takes a good habit to replace a bad habit. And deciding to starve a bad habit is in itself a good habit.

However, succeeding at this requires some measure of strict self-discipline to stay on track in the positive direction that we have chosen to go.

Therefore, if we are willing to be uncomfortable in the short term, we will press ahead beyond the initial stage of pain. And when we do, we will be rewarded with a far better life in the future.

The author of, ‘the Greatest Miracle in the World’ Og Mandino sums everything up for us when he said:

"Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure."

Finally, I say that if you despise failure of all kinds, then discard your key bad habits to keep the doors of mediocrity permanently closed in your life.

 

 

 

The Power of Theming Each Day

 
 

“The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one’s day and every night to examine the results obtained.”

Alexis Carrel

 

 

As opposed to the stress of trying to do everything in just one day, we can adopt the purposeful idea of choosing to ignore almost everything in preference for objective key results in areas that truly matter.

This is one of the secrets behind phenomenal achievements of people like Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey and Steve Jobs. Many super achievers have learned to theme each day of the week on a few meaningful priorities.  

With this strategy, they get to achieve in one day what most of us may not even accomplish in a month.

Such is the power of strategic focus!

It is how Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey successfully run two companies simultaneously while many entrepreneurs get burned out running just one.

Now let’s read how the founder of Twitter expressed the idea himself:

“The way I found that works for me is I theme my days.

On Monday, at both companies, I focus on management and running the company.

Tuesday is focused on product.

Wednesday is focused on marketing and communications and growth.

Thursday is focused on developers and partnerships.

Friday is focused on the company and the culture and recruiting.

Saturday I take off, I hike.

Sunday is reflection, feedback, strategy, and getting ready for the week.”

 

This is such a powerful idea that can save us from the stress of having to handle everything all at once.

With it, we can calmly focus on making the most of today in the direction that we have chosen without the stressing about other important areas of our business at the same time.

We know that by tomorrow, we shall take care of another critical thing in our life and business. And on and on, with each passing day.

This strategy will enable us to be both a good starter and a good finisher of things that count—a powerful combination for true success.

In the words of Malcolm S. Forbes: “One worthwhile task carried to a successful conclusion is worth half-a-hundred half-finished tasks. “

You see, when we get really good at theming our days, we shall be surprised at what we can get done in each passing day.

 

 

 

 

To Be Is to Do—Unremittingly

 
 

“The hard must become habit. The habit must become easy. The easy must become beautiful.”_Doug Henning

 

In our brave modern world, continuous growth is the key to lasting progress, both individually and collectively.

However, no matter how much we desire growth and progress, our good intentions will take us nowhere, if we fail to embrace the habit of constructive action.  

Our habits—if they are predominantly wholesome— can bring us a life of growth and progress, but if they are predominantly unwholesome, they can keep us in a rut of mediocrity and stagnation.

So, if we want to take complete control of our destiny from here onward, building good habits is the right move to make—for personal and professional progress.

I understand that this may be easier said than done. Nonetheless, positive change is possible when we approach the process of change in the right way.

You see, the major reason we have problems at behavior change is not because we are too weak to change but too often it is because our approach to change is misguided.

Frankly, true change is hard and it takes time. So in this article, I am going to share a simple tip that I have used to make some positive changes in my own life.

I gleaned the idea from the Greek philosopher (Aristotle) truism that: “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.”

That’s where the title of this article emerges: to be is to unremittingly do; it means lasting changes happen through constructive habits.

In other words, to truly believe in a new possibility or a new identity, we have to prove it to ourselves through consistent actions.

You see, if we accumulate enough evidences for a desired outcome through relentless actions, then it will be easy for us and others around us not only to believe in its realization but also to expect its fulfillment.

Therefore, if we want to create a better outcome for ourselves, we need to create a new identity first.

And to create a new identity, we need to think and act differently than we are accustomed to.

To do this effectively, we need to follow a simple process.

And the process is in two-fold. First, we need to decide on who we want to become or what we want to achieve.

Then, the second and perhaps more important part is focusing on the behaviors we need to habituate to realize the transformational decision we have made.

The first part is on the results, while the second part is on the behavior. The results are about who we want to be; the behaviors are about what we have to do.

Remember, we do not get what we merely intend to get. We get what we commit ourselves to become.

Therefore, when we commit to better actions, we shall develop good habits, and when we develop good habits, we are already in the process of becoming the type of person who can achieve anything we may desire.

I sum it all up with the wisdom of Lewis Howes who authored, ‘the School of Greatness.’

He said: “I have learned that champions aren’t just born; champions can be made when they embrace and commit to life-changing positive habits.”

Finally, if you desire to be a champion in any area of life, just behave the way champions behave—consistently.

We are what we unremittingly do!

Two Key Habits of Highly Effective People

 
 

“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking. They follow the habits they’ve learned.”― Charles Duhigg

 

If you have ever struggled in the process of realizing your potential, I think you will find the content of this article helpful. It is a concise distillation of power habits of successful humans on the planet.

For good or for bad, habits are the stuff of which human behaviors consist. We are where we are and who we are simply because of the habits we have formed. 

Everything that we are now, and everything that we will ever be, is predominantly determined by the quality of the habits that we nurture.

Though good habits are hard to form, they are easier to live with, yet bad habits which are harder to live with are very easy to form. Therefore, it is up to you and I to make the right choice with regards to our regular behaviors.

And this is where self-discipline—the one factor most responsible for forming good habits and breaking bad ones— comes is into play.

Our ability to exercise intelligent control upon our choices of thought and action, is arguably single greatest quality that we can ever develop.  

Now, let’s move ahead with the first key habit of effective living.

 

Bias of Meaningful Action and Concrete Result

 

“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.”_David Starr Jordan

 

This key habit of personal power is in two-fold. One is the habit of deciding to live in an active mode, ready to get on with any task at hand.  It is our ability to develop and maintain a sense of urgency, and a bias for action, every moment of our lives. 

With the mastery of this habit, we decisively tackle procrastination, overcome fears and plunge ahead toward the achievement of our most meaningful goals. 

The second fold of this heading is about having an intense focus on predetermined results, which comes from dedication to working from clear, written goals every day of our lives. 

All highly effective people are intensely result-oriented and incredibly focused. This means they set very clear priorities on what they need to do and then concentrate single-mindedly until their intended results are attained.

 

Bias for Principles and Values, Not Impulses and Whims

 

“All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue.” _Plato

 

This habit is on how highly effective people live their lives by principles rather than by impulses. It is the habit of character and virtues.

As it turns out, character is an indispensable element of true success; it is the sustaining element of all prosperity. Without principles and values, no lasting success is possible.

It involves developing a noble vision for ourselves and then living out that vision on purpose and with integrity. It is about putting nobility or peace of mind ahead of everything else.

These principles entail the basics of virtues like honesty, temperance, fidelity, compassion, courage, moderation, understanding and the golden-rule.

As you may notice, these principles apply not only to how we handle our affairs but also how we relate with other people. By putting them into practice, we can form countless good habits that are useful in our relationship, work and life.

 

Now, to form these habits, we need to make a decision and then stick to that decision forever. In matters of ethics and good habits, there can be no compromise.

Many philosophers agree that the only way that we can learn any habit is by practicing it on a regular basis.  And the more we practice living by principles of greatness, the more we will internalize every quality we need to become great.

Finally, know that our success in life, materially or otherwise depends largely upon the quality of our habits: therefore, let’s, act accordingly, and proactively replace every sub-optimal habit with a better and more meaningful one.