We end up with a laundry list of goals kept and goals missed, mistakes, and achievements.  We ponder, reflect.  How can I do better?  How can my business be better?  It’s crucial to have this back and forth on a regular basis.  It’s all too often left for New Year’s and quarterly (if that) meetings in a business context.  You might argue with me, spouting your disdain for “self-help” and being preachy and the like.  But seriously.  If you’re not constantly evaluating yourself and your business, you’re letting life live you.  If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re letting your organic opportunities, clients and the market steer.  I don’t know about you, but this isn’t my idea of freedom.   “Riding the waves” is one thing, crashing into the sand because you’re not taking control of your metaphorical surfboard is another, don’t you think?

And here’s where I want to get practical.  I’ve been around too many people, too many clients and too many colleagues that are surfing right along on life’s waves.  If you’re on a surfboard and you enjoy your life and/or your business, rock on dude. But if life and business isn’t exactly what you’d like it to be, maybe it’s time to trade in the surfboard for a ship and for you to step up and be a Captain.

How you become the Captain:

• You realize it may not always be as fun as surfing
• You realize it may sometimes be more fun than surfing, especially in the long run
• You realize when you’re a Captain, you have to inspire, mobilize and lead others
• You realize you can’t have the title of Captain and not steer the rudder
• You have to know how to navigate (there are tools, you know and something called a Captain’s gut
• You have to know when to turn around or jump ship (Titanic, anyone?)
• You have to turn on the engines (you can’t rely on the waves anymore, now you have to propel yourself
• You realize if the ship goes down it’s your fault (not life’s)
• If the ship goes down you’re a Captain and that doesn’t change. You find another ship

- @RobbyBerthume

Being resourceful is tantamount to being useful.  If you’re resourceful, you have the ability to, here’s the key concept, work with what you have to find quick and clever ways to overcome obstacles.  Are you being resourceful in your personal and professional life?  In today’s free-wheeling, credit-wielding economy (circa pre-2008 of course) many individuals and organizations have lost the art of resourcefulness and frugality in their problem solving and decision-making.  Thanks to the worldwide recession, wallets are being cinched, VCs are pulling back, and businesses are running lean.  Resourcefulness is in again, it seems.

Can you imagine if you won the lottery?  And not just any lottery, but a jackpot of tens of millions of dollars?   You’re probably already fantasizing about how you would spend that kind of money.  I wouldn’t mind a Lambo or additional capital myself! It’s easy to fantasize about a life made easier with vast or unlimited resources.  The human mind certainly likes to paint a rosier picture on the other side of the fence.   Problem is, if you wait until the stars are perfectly aligned (like winning the lottery) to do something, you’ll mostly likely never end up doing it.  Ideas abound, execution is another story.  I’ve seen countless people dream a big dream, but never start, poorly execute, or quit early because of a lack of resources.  In my mind, it’s often not as much a matter of resources, but a matter of how resourceful you are.

Starting a business on a shoestring, landing a date with a supermodel, or providing value to your client base can be accomplished with a vision and diligence.  You can’t snap your fingers and make these goals realities, but you can take a hard look at what you have in your toolbox, where you want to go, and how you can take baby steps to get there.  If you’re starting a business, but think you need a million to make something happen, don’t sit idle while waiting for the cash monsoon.  Start a business plan, get your branding started, research your competition, network with investors, and start a blog to begin building your marketing channel.  A lot of success isn’t a result of luck, it’s a result of setting yourself up for luck.  After all, you’ll never win the hand if you’re not at the table to begin with.

Don’t end up on the treadmill of life, static in a moving environment or moving in a static environment, with inertia driving your path.  Sometimes, you need to pull up your sleeves and make do with what you have.  If you’re striving for usefulness, for yourself and others, then form a habit of using your existing assets wisely.  If you want to be a writer, but don’t have a publisher on board, maybe you should self-publish, blog, or build up a Twitter following to get your name out there.  If you want to meet people, but feel socially awkward, take a public speaking class coupled with a geography class and watch your fear and lack of conversation material will wane.   My point is this: Rome wasn’t built in a night, legacies weren’t built in a month, and lasting businesses (useful ones) take time to build. Riding the ebbs and flow of life will present hurdles and opportunities, but with resourcefulness you can make the best of both worlds.  -Written By @epsilonc

“Remember you will not always win. Some days, the most resourceful individual will taste defeat. But there is, in this case, always tomorrow – after you have done your best to achieve success today.” -Maxwell Maltz