Three Uplifting Keys to Using Your Personal Resources Wisely

Many people look at resources as the physical things they have at our disposal for their everyday use ranging from food in the pantry to money in the bank account. Support or aid from people and organizations in times of need is a second and dynamic type of resource. There is a third type of resource we possess that is more important and more powerful than all other accessible resources. Although it is intangible, you are capable of drawing from it and replenishing it at any time. The available means of your mind, attitude and personal capabilities to deal with situations and meet difficulties effectively is the asset to which I am referring. Pulling from your inner stockpile of wherewithal is a sufficient substitute for anything lack of material sustenance. nnnHubert Humphrey once said, “Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left.” nnnI have three tools you can throw in your tool box and pull out any time. These three tools are keys to unlock the doors to all the resources you will ever need to flip every turn of fate to your benefit. nn1. Do What You Can With What You Haven2. Quit Complaining, Be Creativen3. What Am I Grateful For Today?nnnKey #1 “Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are” nPresident Theodore Roosevelt our 26th President was quoted as saying this. It is the central philosophy on which I base my life. I interpret his quote to mean: Always use the resources you have around you and do what you can up to the point you run out of time, money or avenues, then move onto the next thing that you can effect and so on. What I do is when I run out of resources on the second project, I move on to a third project. By the time resources have run out on the third, I can go back to the first thing where the resources may have come available again. And on and on it goes. As a single mother, I have nearly perfected this philosophy. Consequently I can get a lot done with limited resources.nnMaking the most of all your resources available is a philosophy of self discipline combined with an unstoppable attitude. I had times where I was discouraged and yet I stayed mightily determined to move forward no matter what. Sometimes, it seemed to be the only way I could make anything happen in my world.nPart of making the best of every situation is understanding and reminding yourself this is a temporary condition, not as permanent as it feels right now. Just tell yourself, “Do not take this personally. You are not the only one this has happened to. There are always solutions even if I don’t see them right now”. nnOne of the most challenging areas of life to keep this attitude is the area of personal finances. Are you in debt maybe dealing with money issues or limited resources?nnnRemember, we are doing what we can with what we have where we are? There are plenty of things you can do to help yourself. nnConsider:n• Paying down your high interest debts. n• Cleaning up your credit. n• Learning to budget what you DO have. nnYour money is a powerful resource. Each choice you make is part of your bigger picture. Each choice is forming your future. Choosing to do what you can, with what you have, where you are is a choice to consistently do your best in every moment. nn n Key #2 Quit Complaining, Be Creative!nnEveryday I hear people around me talking about how high groceries are, how intense the banking environment is and how the economy is changing their “normal way of life”. Change is upon us. We are all having to get creative with our budgets and alter our habits whether we like it or not. Americans dislike having any limitations put on us. We whine and complain with neighbors and friends about all our problems. Certainly consulting and conferring with each other will make us feel better. Right?nnnI broke my knee recently. Throughout my recovery I have realized things I would have considered problems are just inconveniences. My new perspective has given birth to my new 2 minute rule. It goes like this: I give myself 120 seconds of “poor me” and “my life is so bad” type ranting and complaining. After my little pity party, it is time to move on, end of story.nnnAt my request, my friends are following through on cutting me off abruptly at the one hundred and twentieth second. Any more complaining than that and it clouds the good things in my life. Soon enough I forget what I have going for me and I start to believe what I am complaining about really IS A PROBLEM!nNot walking ever again is a problem. Getting someone to take out my garbage for a few weeks is an inconvenience. So if you can’t count your blessings, count your inconveniences but only for 2 minutes. nn nAfter that “Quit Complaining, Be Creative!” Complaining attracts more complainers. People don’t like to help ungrateful people. I know am willing to give more of my assistance to someone who gives me a big smile and a thank you after I help them.nBeing angry has its place and expressing frustration can be healthy. Complaining, however, is not solution oriented, it is “FEEL SORRY FOR ME” oriented. I have seen people who complain as a way of life. This attitude is destructive, produces more dissatisfaction and breaks down momentum. Always remember, your attitude is your greatest resource!nnnBeing creative is the alternative to complaining. Being creative is the opposite of complaining. You cannot be creative and complain at the same time. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way.nSynonyms for creative are clever, innovative, productive, artistic, inventive, ingenious. The last time you were listening to someone fuss and crab were you thinking “How innovative!”? Me neither! nnnDid you ever hear the stories about those people who have money, lose it and earn it back no big deal? They don’t criticize; they just make new plans. Having wealth is a fact to them just as “Today is an awful day.” is a fact to the complainer. More millionaires were created during The Great Depression than any other time in history. I am willing to bet the need of the times activated an innovative creative spirit in Americans. Everyday I hear the same attitudes in people around me. nnKey #3 What Am I Grateful For Today?nOur attitude is our greatest resource. Attitudes drive behavior. We always have a choice as to what attitude to adopt. “An attitude of gratitude will transform everyday disappointments and frustrations” according to Melody Beattie, best selling author. In her book Gratitude, she says, “A sense of gratitude provides valuable perspective when facing problems and inspires thankfulness even when we don’t feel grateful.” I am sure if you are in dire straits right no gratitude in difficult to access right now. Staying centered in your thankfulness is more important than ever. nnSo how can you enjoy your day even when the a/c in your car is not working and your back hurts? Ask yourself the question, “What am I grateful for today?” Then answer the question with all the things going right in your life. It may take a few minutes to find something. Set this reminder on your cell phone alarm, notes around the house or make it apart of your day with your family to reinforce appreciation. It may take months to activate a true sense of thankfulness and appreciation for your everyday blessings. Henry David Thoreau explains “as a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives." nnnOnce you practice it for awhile you will see it lightens your mood and resets your perspective on what is right in your life. Remember what Hubert Humphrey “…it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left.” Being grateful for what is left is a great place to start “it unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie