Be Proactive

Stephen Covey is one of my favorite authors, and his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a classic that everyone should read.  It made a significant impact on me and I aspire to practice these habits.  I read and own the book, went to a class on the topic, and have the video tapes of the book and habits for my kids.

Habit 1 is to be proactive.  The big point he makes with this habit is that we have choices in life that determine the outcome we end up with.  If we didn’t like a particular outcome in the past, we can choose according to the outcome we want in the future.  He points out that we design our life by these choices, so that life doesn’t “happen” to us.  Being proactive is more than taking initiative.  It is also about taking responsibility for our lives and responding to events and circumstances based on our values rather than reacting. “Instead of blaming circumstances, conditions, or chance for our behavior, we choose our own responses and make our own decisions.”

Exercising this habit also means using proactive language such as “I can” and “I will” rather than reactive language such as “I can’t” or “If only.”  Focusing on what they can control is an important aspect of proactive people.  Understanding how we spend our energies is a big step towards being more proactive.

Sources: Stephen Covey, Franklin Covey