Be Proactive

Are you being proactive or reactive? This is a question I ask my clients all the time. The answer always takes us to the next step. Choosing to look ahead allows you to develop a plan for the future. Being proactive looks different for everyone; for me, it means taking conscious control over your life, setting goals, and working to achieve them, as opposed to reacting to events and waiting for opportunities.

It’s all about you.

Here are a few key points to understanding a proactive mindset:

No one else is going to get you where you want to go—it’s up to you. Your family and friends can be a wonderful support system, but in the long run, they can’t do the work for you. Take ownership and responsibility for your goals because you—and only you—are accountable for making them happen. 

Be solution-focused.

Successful people have one thing in common: they’re good at problem-solving. Everyone has problems, but we don’t all deal with them in the same way. How you handle your problems plays a huge role in how effective you’ll be at finally reaching your goals. When a problem arises, are you going to let it completely derail you? Or are you instead going to focus on finding new solutions and options? All too often, when problems arise, we choose to zero in on all the things that are out of our control, when instead, our energy would be better spent focusing on what we can control so we can reach a better outcome.

Make clear goals.

It’s so important to have clearly defined goals. How are you going to work toward something if you don’t actually know what it is? Make sure your goal is specific and well-defined. For example: “I would like to write a book,” is a good start, but it’s very broad. Instead, try being more specific: I’m writing a romance novel that takes place in Paris in the 1900s. Or: I’m writing a memoir based on my experiences growing up in a family who lived off the grid. The next step is to make sure it’s realistic. Be honest with yourself, and make sure the goal you create is a goal you can achieve.Break your goal down into small, actionable steps. If it’s a book you’re writing, maybe you’re aiming for a chapter a week. If it’s a half-marathon you want to run, maybe you hope to be able to run a 5k within a month. Dedication to achieving these small steps will culminate in eventually reaching your goal, and in such a way that you do not have to feel overwhelmed.

Be consistent.

Consistency is key. Are you consistently and persistently taking steps every day to steadily move toward your goal? Stay consistent, even when the steps seem small; doing the right things day in and day out will help you gain momentum and move you closer to your goal.

Proactive has many names. Tony Robbins refers to it as using your Personal Power. Dr. Wayne Dyer refers to the proactive as no-limit people. No matter what name we put on it, there’s many benefits to being proactive each and every day. When a situation comes up, we can choose to be proactive or reactive; the good news is, the power is always ours to choose to be proactive.