Habit 1: Be Proactive!

Aww, yes. We've all heard this term, especially from management. I always thought it meant to take initiative and just go head first into projects or something. Many managers I've had really used this term rather loosely.

So what does it mean to me? How does Stephen Covey (author of The 7 Habits) mean proactive?
Covey didn't actually invent this or any of the ideas. He just put them in a logical, easy-to-understand order. The idea of being "proactive" (or at least the term proactive as it associates with the habits) was coined by Victor Frankl.

You see, Victor Frankl was a victim of the Holocaust and a neurologist/psychiatrist. While in the concentration camps, he was always cheerful regardless of all the torture. He appeared to be less harmed by the treacherous conditions while the others in the same place suffered dearly. This was because he was "proactive." He came out of the camp with the idea that even in the most painful, disgusting, dehumanizing situations, there is still a meaning to life. Even suffering was in some way meaningful.

Everyone knows that a stimulus generates some form of a response. Human nature is to be reactive, not proactive. Reactive means you are generally a victim and the state of the response to some said stimulus has been determined by someone else, therefore you are unhappy. Being proactive means taking responsibility for your life. Each aspect of your life and how you view it has been determined by you. You decide your response.

There are things you can control, such as your response, and things you cannot, such as the stimulus. The things you can control are in your "Circle of Influence." Well it's not likely any of us will end up in a concentration camp, so how else could this be applied to our lives? Let's look at this: Losing your job.

As you all already know, I've lost mine in the past. I was reactive. I got sick with stress over things I could not control. If I were proactive at the time, I would have taken a step back. I would have realized what I can do to help myself. I eventually got there, but human nature is to react. It takes months, maybe years to become truly proactive. But without the conscience effort, it won't happen.

Being proactive is a habit to help you personally, mentally, spiritually. Once you can control yourself, you can better handle situations that involve other people. Which we will get to with the next few habits.

Ya know, I try to tell my wife that if she just could control herself things would be okay. But she finds it more effective to kick me in my sleep...