Yesterday I drove over to the gym. Halfway there I discovered I had forgotten my wallet which contained my driver’s license and other forms of ID. I said in my head, “I hope I don’t get pulled over.”

I arrived without incident, did my workout and was preparing to drive home. Then this idea hit me. Suppose I was all of a sudden stranded in a town that was new to me with no ID and no financial means, how would I survive?

It got me to thinking about a course Jerry Stocking does called THE GLOW. Part of the course is taking away all your forms of ID and money and communication devices and have you live on the streets over a couple of days.

What do you rely on during such times? The answer seems to be your internal resources. You never leave them behind.

We get so used to relying on our tangible resources that we forget to exercise one of our most prized possessions: our internal resources.

I’m reminded of a line from one of Robert Frost‘s poems: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” What do you do then?

Most of us look for an outside savior when we find ourselves in such a pickle. What if there isn’t one? Often there’s not. Our choice seems to be to find a way forward or die on the vine.

Internal resources are the way to save the day. We first must recognize that we have them and then decide to use them.

“Get Resourceful” can be our mantra as we head into a new year. Find your way forward by finding and using what most of us keep hidden: our internal resources.

The old proverb found in Plato‘s work comes to mind: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” I think it best not to wait until necessity shows its face. Practice using your internal resources well before the house is on fire and you’ll be in a better position to use them when necessity comes a-calling.

Practicing could be as simple as what I did yesterday: wondering what I would do in the face of the unforeseen. The wondering puts you in touch with parts of you that haven’t seen the light of day for quite some time.

It’s these internal resources that will create something new when your missing wallet is gone from view.

All the best,

John