Limited Resources?

You Have More Than You Think

By investing in yourself and sharing your special gifts and blessings, you invest in a better world. - Caroline Phipps
 
I once knew an elderly lady named Dorothy who lived in a nursing home. She was confined to a wheelchair for many years but adept at maneuvering herself around the building. A great favorite with the staff and other residents, she would spend her days joyfully bestowing blessings on people and singing for them. A particularly favorite song was Have I told you lately (that I love you)? The day she died the nurse supervisor was particularly bereft and, with tears welling in her eyes, asked me, “Who is going to bless us now?”

To many Dorothy seemed to have minimal resources, totally dependent on others, with little more than Medicaid coverage keeping a roof over her head. In truth her resources were limitless as her days filled with sharing joy, love, and gratitude created an aura of abundance that transcended the limits of her circumstance.

As previously mentioned in my article, Be Resourceful - Work With What You Have, humans are endlessly resourceful. But when assessing our resources, we often limit ourselves to the material things—money, property and belongings that we are fortunate to have or would like to have. All these require constant maintenance, replenishment and are finite. There are many types of resources at our fingertips that we often overlook or are unaware are available to us no matter our circumstances.

In today’s atmosphere of chaos and insecurity, now is the perfect time to take an empowering self-inventory. Start by making a list of the resources you do have that you may have taken for granted and haven’t considered before. Along with material blessings, this might include your relationships, belief system, life attitude, skills, experiences and your precious time.

First assess your relationships, both personal and professional. Suppose they provide you with mutual support, collaboration, cooperation, opportunity, identity and belonging. In that case, they are vital assets providing a solid foundation for well-being and a sense of security. Trust, goodwill, credibility and reputation are priceless assets you have painstakingly collected that cannot be purchased. So valuable are they that, once lost, they are extremely hard, if not impossible, to replace.

Second consider your belief system and your attitude toward life. Having a sense of purpose is a powerful resource that provides you with the courage and resilience to accept, adapt and bounce back from adversity, challenges and seemingly catastrophic events. Being mindful of life’s simple pleasures and expressing gratitude for what you have, no matter how modest.

Never forget that above all, you are your greatest resource. Creativity, communication, ingenuity, the courage to imagine possibilities and the fortitude to try are hallmarks of the human condition. When you work with what you have to help others by sharing time, energy, knowledge, skills and experience, you become a priceless resource. This fosters community and fulfillment, empowering everyone.

There is so much abundance available to us through sharing and the joy that comes with giving. When you share, it’s not just about giving something away. It releases you from the anxiety of worry of what you don’t have and replaces it with joyful awareness of what you have to offer. This is very empowering. 

So don’t take yourself as a powerful resource for granted. Just as you maintain your home, car or other material possessions, be sure to invest in yourself—care for health, expand your knowledge, broaden your horizons and be curious about the world and the lives of others. By investing in you and sharing your special gifts and blessings, you invest in a better world.

Remember all outstanding achievements are born from collaboration not isolation. We’re all connected and everything meaningful, that has been or will be accomplished, is due to people sharing their resources and working together. Never because they go it alone. You are part of this interconnected web of achievements and your contributions matter.
 
* Article: Be Resourceful - Work With What You Have