Why do I write this blog on resourcefulness and why I have written blogs, taught classes, hosted and created large events on the subject, started groups, created book clubs and written hundreds of entries on the subject when I don't have to do it.
Here is "MY WHY?".
There is no way I could begin to tell you all the reasons I am so passionate about this but I'll try with a list of 5. My main "Why" Is I would like other people to be happy! Being of service makes me happy and when you can figure things out on your own you are happier and feel more confident. I think this may be my mission in life to share the gift of being resourceful.
1. Being Resourceful helps you make friends: Being a child raised by grandparents and divorced parents I became very adaptable. I was also an only child until I got a bonus sister at 21. I learned to resourcefully entertain myself with whomever was available, be it senior citizens, my dads fishing buddies, or whatever stray animal would let me drag it around. I would talk to anyone, go fishing with a my dad and his buddies, or hang out with a cat in barn. This has made me learn to get along with all kinds of people.
2. Being Resourceful helps you learn new things:I read to learn things. You can learn so many things from books and online. Reading on my own has probably taught me more than I learned in all my years of school. I've taught myself to cook, clean, raise children, handle money, and learned a ton about my craft. Nowadays I love to watch tutorials and learn from videos as well.
3. Being Resourceful give you confidence: I can go to my closet right now and find something to wear for almost any occasion no money required, and I don't have a ton of stuff. I can figure out something to take to a potluck most likely without having to even go to the store (I can make bean dip out of a bag of dried beans) because I know how to cook.
4. Being Resourceful helps you find keep a roof over your head. Though I have a great career now I know that no matter what happens I can very likely find a job and chances are I could find a place to live and a way to survive. Why because I am not afraid to ask people if they have a job, know of a job, have work I can do, a place to stay, etc..... I have no problem asking questions and you need to know what and how to ask those questions. I know that my connections in life are important. I've cleaned houses, watched peoples pets, taken care of babies and children, answered phones, kept books and done all kinds of things because I needed a job. No job is beneath me. I would do what I had to do to eat and care for my family.
5. Being resourceful builds self esteem as you learn how to do things in clever and new ways and to make things work with little resources. When my kids were little we were on a government subsidy called WIC, a food voucher program. My ex and I were both in college and we were struggling with three kids. I learned how to cook every possible thing with what they provided. I made it my mission to feed my kids well with that food and we did. We did not have health insurance for some time and I took my kids to the Health Dept for shots and check ups and I also went there for my care. Humiliated? No because I knew it wasn't forever and I was not to proud to take care of my kids. Eventually we wouldn't need it but I did what I had to do to get out of poverty. You do what you have to do to care for your family and you hold your head high. Doing all of this made me realize I have the grit to do what has to be done even when it's hard and that makes me proud. And I never, never took it for granted. I was thankful to be able to find what I need. I always dressed my kids in clean clothes and kept what we had clean even though it may not have been new or the best we always looked kept and never did I allow us to look pitiful no matter if I only had a $1 in my account.
My kids are grown now and three of them are out of the house. They have watched me their whole lives food pack, budget, and take care of them even when things were tight. Now I don't have to do that as much, it's more of a choice now but my kids have those skills and that is so important to me. The other day Cole told me he needed two pair of jeans, one for work and one for daily wear. He said "I realized that at work I really didn't need anything fancy, just something without holes so I went through all my old jeans and found some that I could get by with and save the $70 cost of a new pair of Levi's." My heart was so proud. I knew I had done a good job.
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