How many of you know the meaning of the word
proactivity? Do you know what being a proactive person means?
Proactivity or
proactive behavior refers to anticipatory, change-oriented and self-initiated
behavior in situations. According to Vocabulary Dictionary, active means
"doing something" while prefix pro- means "before". And
as far as you can guess, the adjective proactive can describe a person who gets
things done. The opposite is being reactive, or waiting for things to unfold
before responding. Think about winter cold season. A proactive person washes
his hands and takes vitamins; a reactive person gets sick and takes cold
medicine. This sort of attitude towards life is called reactive, where we are
just reacting to the stimulus. If you want to be a successful person, you must
have proactivity in you. I am convinced you would agree that one of the most
proactive successful persons is Steven Jobs. People described him as the
creative and proactive entrepreneur whose passion for ferocious and perfection
drive revolutionized six industries, personal computers, animated movies,
music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. He is very proactive
in making his company run well. So, if you are proactive, you make things
happen, instead of waiting for them to happen to you. If you are proactive, you
are ready before something happens. If you are proactive person, you use foresight,
anticipate events or issues. If you are proactive, you achieve your goals. And today I would like to share some methods to become
a proactive person: anticipating and taking action; embracing your
responsibility and influence; controlling your responses.
Let’s start with anticipating and taking action. By
thinking about potential issues that could arise and being aware of possible
future changes, you will be able to plan and act accordingly. For example, if you
know that you will be going on vacation soon, start putting aside money now for
meals or fun activities to do while on vacation. Prioritize the things that are
most important. Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on the things
that are most important and aim for accomplishing those. Create a plan,
checklist, or routine to accomplish the task. Look for steps in the process you
can eliminate, consolidate or shorten.
Now let us look at the second method which offers to embrace your
responsibility and influence. You are the only one who can accomplish your goals and fix your
problems. While there are people in your life who will support you, you need to
rely on yourself to achieve success. Instead of placing the blame on someone or
something else when a problem arises, take ownership of the issue and work
towards solving it yourself. Use your energy
and motivation to focus on what you can control and accomplish. For example, if
you are stressing out about your sister’s grades at school, you cannot make her
get good grades. However, you can help her study for tests, make sure she is
getting enough sleep, and encourage her to take her grades seriously. Set
realistic goals to keep yourself motivated and moving forward. Instead of
telling yourself to lose all of your extra weight within a month, set a goal to
swim or run a kilometer each day. Participate actively instead of just
observing. Proactive people do not sit on the sidelines or just listen to other
people’s suggestions. Surround yourself with motivated people. If you have been spending time with someone who is negative,
lazy, or similarly unmotivated, it is time to put some distance between yourself
and this person.
And finally, controlling your responses. Focus on
solutions instead of problems. If you see problems as things that can be fixed,
you’ll find it much easier to come up with a solution. Communicate
calmly in times of anger or distress. If you find yourself getting upset when
talking to someone or during any situation, take a few deep breaths to calm
down and refocus. Avoid jumping to negative conclusions. My friend did not respond to my text message — instead of assuming he just does not want to talk to
me, I consider that he may be super busy or does not have his phone on him. Put yourself in others' shoes for a different viewpoint.
Empathy will help prevent you from only seeing one side of things. For example,
if your groupmate is always showing up late to university, try to understand
why this might be happening. Does she have siblings that need to be driven to
school? Does she have reliable transportation? If you go through a failure, try
to learn from the experience. By turning setbacks into knowledge, you will always
be moving forward. Not only is a positive outlook important for staying
happy and healthy, it is also a key aspect in being proactive. Instead of
attaching negative vibes to problems, try to stay positive and see them in a
different light.
To sum up, I would like to quote the American security
consultant Frank Abagnale, who said “You have to think a little smarter, be
proactive, not reactive”. Anticipating and taking action, embracing your
responsibility and influence, controlling your responses can help you to become
a proactive person. If you are this type of person, you achieve your goals. Why
don't all of us live a proactive lifestyle?
