How To Achieve Personal Development: Resource Management.
In case you haven't noticed, the major resources in this world are time, space and energy. Some of you, right now, are disagreeing, saying that time and money are the major resources in this world; but, hold on, I'll explain. Time, space and energy are mainly the major "categories" of resources in our universe. Not that you don't have money as a major resource, but money is merely a representation of these major categories.
I'll explain further. Psychiatrists, doctors, and virtually all professions charge for their time, in other words, money becomes a representative (and not just an exchange) for the time they spent. Parking lots/spaces charge for parking, this, money then becomes a representative for the space (or takes the place of the space rented out); and this concept goes same for accommodations and hospitality. I expend some of my life force (or energy) to achieve a task on your behalf and charge you for it. Money once again comes in as a representative for energy expended.
Sense made?
Now, I will address the topic by explaining why I consider resource management as an aid to personal development, and some of the ways I've found to be efficient in resource management. So, let's get it on!
Why do I consider resource management a way of attaining personal development? Simple... It signifies discipline. I value discipline a lot in my life and I consider it a key that opens several doors to success . Training oneself to manage resources is like training oneself to stop wastage, and make the most of life and its facilities. So... Why not resource management?
Years ago, I would not have considered resource management as key to development, but life taught me (and it's teaching me) well. I had a boyfriend many years ago. I had just failed out of a direct entry program so I was homebound until my parents could forgive me and then enroll me in another direct entry program with which I could get into a university. So, I was in that period of stagnancy in my life, and I had nothing creative to do to keep me busy (at least); so I spent all the time I had scheming ways with which I could leave the house to go see my boyfriend. I, in my little football head, thought I loved him so much and he was my world. So, I would daydream everyday (in other words wasting time, space and energy) cooking up lies and best execution strategies to go and see this guy (as any very early 20-something year old growing under strict parents would). Most of my strategies failed, or only bought me an hour or 2, by the way (which I considered very little to spend with him).
One day, I had the house to myself, and I invited him over to come spend some hours with me. He came, alright, though seemed uninterested most of the time. In the course of conversation, I told him how much I missed him and how much I thought of him everyday, and he said something life-changing to me, looking away with an insulting smile on his face. He said, "it's because you have nothing doing". He went further to insist that of I had something better to do, I won't waste my time daydreaming of him.
I felt so hurt, and angry, but hid my reaction to his "ignorant" disregard of my feelings for him until he left. I guess what I expected him to say in return to me was that he loved me too and daydreamed about me all day as well. That comment shook me to my core and I picked up on one of my talents and started making dioramas (little houses, mainly or of used cartons, cardboard, and cable wires). When I finish a diorama I would give it out to a friend, or I would just renovate, and renovate, and renovate it. I enjoyed my little projects, I felt happier, and in time, I developed a better relationship with myself, and I took out the trash (which included my boyfriend).
You see, I really reallocated my resources to something more productive and it brought me joy, and made the one year wait for my parents' forgiveness more satisfying than it would have been otherwise. In terms of personal development, like I said earlier, I developed a better relationship with myself. I began to explore my talents, and task my brain to come up with the next creative thing. The precipitates of this flow of growth were outstanding in creating an auto-trash-delete function in my world. Waking up every day with a focus of growth, expansion, creativity, and discovery became so important to me that I will disregard or knock out anything that tried to compete with the focus for resources. For instance when I started with the dioramas, I loved waking up early everyday to my project at hand, or coming up with the next project (mostly by searching through magazines for houses with simple designs I could easily emulate) and I no longer had the time and energy to spend scheming an outing opportunity with my boyfriend.., soon enough, a point of reevaluation came when the thought of my boyfriend came to me, and I asked myself questions I never asked before, "so, why are you really going to see him? Do you know how many doors and windows, for your diorama, you could have put together in that time? Is he the one calling you, or are you the one just nagging to be with him? Does he even love you?" Even when I insisted on going, I found myself reconsidering the transport fare and time wasted on the road doing nothing but sitting and waiting... and so much more. And before I knew it, I aborted the thoughts of him from my mind (and it was painless because of the creative instruments of joy I had at hand). Life was wonderful!
Hope you are still following.
Now here are some of the ways I trained and train myself on resource management. 1) Having a focus and maintaining it until it no longer serves me, or until I get a higher focus. 2) Knowing when to say "NO" (being principled).
So... Focus. I'm sure you already found the significance of focus in resource management from my story. You may want to find something you enjoy doing (something you can sustain for a long period of time) first. You can use this for target practice on resource management. Starting with something you love or enjoy will make it easier for you to develop a sense of focus than starting with something you "have to do". The thing you "have" to do is more like a chore and your brain will probably find it too boring to focus on. Then... Declare the resources this focus will demand from you and the amount of such resources. Would it be your energy (in the form of attention, for example), or time, or space? Allow this focus to consume you in contemplation, then put a plan together, allocating resources to every given time. Finally, follow up with your plan! Carry it out. Enjoy the process of carrying out your plans and allowing it to develop on its own within you. This method brings about an unconsciously forced sense of responsibility that breeds maturity, whether you are aware of it or not. This new mature aspect of you is what asks you those important questions when you want to stray back to your former focus-less self (like the questions I began to ask myself whenever I thought of visiting my then boyfriend). You can enjoy and maximize the use of this focus in training yourself on resource management until you are ready to graduate to other tasks (which could then be chores, and other things you "have" to do).
Then... knowing when to say "NO". You know those times when people (including you) demand of you what you know will turn you against your focus or positive goals? Learn to say "NO"! As I receded more and more into myself and enjoyed my time alone engaging in creative endeavours, I lost my taste for external sources of joy and fulfillment. I only left the house when I really needed to, and usually made a comprehensive list of everything I could achieve when I went out so that I would have little or no reason to go out for the next few days. As such, I stopped calling friends so often (to rarely), and in time I got to discover the ones that actually cared about me; but best of all, this level of detachment from the outside world and growing relationship with myself made it easier for me to say, "NO", whenever the demand for my resources (which I prefer to reserve for my focus) arose. A friend could call asking that we go out and see another friend, so we can all go together to meet some other friend, and I would look at my beloved diorama (or some other craft work, or goal I'm working on), and I would say, "NO" (maybe not always so bluntly, but I will certainly make an excuse to get out of wasting such precious time). Now, you may be wondering what kind of social life I must have had. Not so much actually (lol!), but I needed that period of sacrifice to set my life straight. Of course, I got a bit more of my social life back much later, but this time it was with more responsibility.
Not that there aren't other ways to manage resources but this two explained so far work best for me in training myself to do so.
So... What do you think? How good/great are you at resource management? Do you have some tips you would like to share? Feel free to air your thoughts.
I love you. Till next week.
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