TEN tips for becoming resourceful!

You may think that being resourceful is a superpower that every entrepreneur must-have. But this one skill can help you do well in your 9-5 job, excel as a creator and give you a leg-up as a student too! Do you know why? Because the resourceful people do work faster. Their vast knowledge and network always keep them updated on top of trends. And of course, they find the best opportunities to work, create and build!

And these are the ten ways you too can use to add this essential skill to your daily routine:

1. Be Clear:
   I can’t tell you how many times my DMs are filled with ‘Hi’ or ‘I have an idea’ or ‘I am looking for a co-founder with a tech background’. Now let me break down these messages. Any time you say ‘Hi’, I know that I will have to do a lot of back and forth with you to get to the real support. you are looking for. And I am not even sure that even then I would be the right person to help you. Anytime you send ‘I have an idea’ to an investor without any context on why you contacted this person, or what exactly are you looking for, you may not get a response again.
   
   Lastly, if you are looking for a technical co-founder (which BTW everyone is), you may want to be more specific. Everything is tech today! Are you looking for a front-end app developer, a solidity developer, or a backend web developer? The best help I got from people was when I was CLEAR about what I am looking for! People can help us if we don’t ask them with clarity.
   

2. Go Into the Rabbit Hole:
   Quite literally! I have this exercise of the 5 Why that I do every time I find new information. Let’s break it down. Let’s say, I want to start a creator channel. This is what I do:
   Q. Why do you want to build this creator channel?
   A. Because there is no one space about web3, startup trends and Founder DNA. I want to bring these 3 pillars together.
   
   Q. Why does this space not exist?
   A. Because people only cover one of these aspects usually. There are tons of resources on just startup trends, just web3, and just building your founder DNA.
   
   Q. Why are people only focusing on one of these pillars?
   A. Maybe because the audience that wants all 3 of these pillars is very niche and Not that big.
   
   Q. Why do you want to focus on this Niche?
   A. Because I want to build a community for curious people and not just someone who wants to know about an industry, but rather wants to stay updated with everything.
   
   Q. Why do you want to create this community?
   A. Because, the next generation of innovators, educators, and creators will come from the discussions within this space. They will be able to have a breadth of knowledge and be able to choose their passion.
   
   Honestly, this exercise made me more excited about creating this space. And that doesn’t happen for ALL my ideas so try this exercise honestly and see if you still want to pursue this thing, that promotion, that next round of funding, the new job, or school!
   

3. Say ‘Interesting’ instead of ‘Yes’ or ‘No’:
   Being resourceful also means staying away from the culture of instant thumbs up or thumbs down on social media. The next tiem you get new information, try saying ‘interesting’. And then read more information about it. Scavenge multiple takes by experts and opposing sides. And then form an opinion. The breadth of information you will know will be tremendous. And you know what, the more you practice this, the need to react instantly to news, and opinions reduce gradually. You become this observer instead of the reactor.
   

4. Surround yourself with Variety:
   One tough thing among so many on the internet is that the algorithm sends you into a bubble. You saw one video on making food and liked it, you will only see them! If you saw one travel post and saved it, you’ll only see it. For the longest time, my TikTok was filled with ASMR because initially, I was so Damn curious to see what this was and why such content was being created. But do you know you can use your social media as a search engine and keep retraining it too to surround yourself with a variety of ideas and POVs? How to do that? The next time you are curious about anything, let’s say ‘web3’, go and type that in any socials and then interact with some content there. If you are bored of ‘Web3’ and now suddenly curious about ‘remote work’, go type that and retrain your platform.
   

5. Catch up on repetitive information:
   If you are seeing too many people with the same opinion around you, the chances that that is the only thing people are talking about are not really 100%. It might be because the people in your network are interacting with that content. Notice this early because the more you start watching that content, you start to feel that is the reality. Question your content and your knowledge time and again.
   

6. Get ‘OK’ with not fully understanding:
   There is NO RACE! Seriously, you don’t have to have an opinion on everything. No matter how much the web tells you to. I know a lot of people are fast and quick and they know exactly what side they are on and that is amazing! But being mindful and gradual is OK too. Have opinions, YES! But make them well informed and fact-checked!
   

7. We are allowed to change our opinion with new information:
   You are NOT that one thing you said a year ago or 5 years ago. If you got new information, you CAN change your stance! We grow and learn ALL the time. We don’t have to be stubborn and stick to something that deep down we know is not wrong because that is just going to hinder our growth. For the longest time, I was the shopper! I loved to buy things, clothes and destress. Then I learned about fast fashion and grew up! Buying and wearing new clothes wasn’t really my identity. My identity is probably my present moment and when I learned new information, I changed my lifestyle. And my identity evolved for the better.
   

8. Surround yourself with new people:
   Yes having lifelong friends is great! But having new people regularly in your life can energize and refresh your takes. Learning about their experiences is education beyond books and the internet. So go to events outside of your industry and listen to the life stories of people. I recently interacted with a makeup artist who used to work in Bollywood and the experience she has had was so interesting to me.
   

9. Time is important:
   Stay in the present: Use the internet
   Know the past: Read books, poems, scientific papers, and essays.
   Learn for the future: See what your younger generations are doing, talking about, and sharing!
   

10. Expert Advice:
    Talk to people who have been there and done that. Go with a learner’s mindset. Really invest in true education that makes you a better decision-maker.
    

I hope these 10 steps help you in your path and in seeing the resources you are looking for! And let me know what are your tips on this matter? I will see you all next time!

Love and Light,

Arjita