Be proactive in all you want to achieve. It pays off in the end

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?