Personal Proactive Attitude: a smart way to manage uncertain times

Many years ago when I was a little girl, my grandfather taught me a lesson when he said:

"My darling granddaughter: most people let go, and never take the necessary steps ...
And sooner or later this world rewarded to the people who make the things happen .... "

And since then I've been convinced that many of us are constantly in a state of "passive latency distressing".

This is a concept that I ‘ve invented recently, and it means we’re living constantly waiting for something to happen or someone to take care of us.
And I hope you're ready to read bad news:

“Nothing special happens if you don’t initiate this kind of iniatives for yourself”

But the good news is that it’s true too some of us took the initiative, take action and make things happen.

My question for you is: Which is your style ?

From my point of view and professional experience, I can say that people who make their own decisions and not subject to others or external conditions are those that have developed the habit of proactivity. And really it’s the most effective antidote to remedy the state of "passive latency distressing".

But being proactive doesn’t mean just taking the initiative, but also take responsibility for making things happen; always decide what we do and how we're doing.

I read a book a long ago: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Vicktor Frankl, which defines proactivity as "the freedom to choose our attitude to the circumstances of our life."
He’s a Jewish psychiatrist, despite the terrible torture who lived in Nazi concentration camps where he was locked up, nobody could take away his inner freedom: to decide how it would affect what was happening.

Another book, that I have often worked in management and leadership training "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey, it talks about the essence of the proactive person is the ability to subordinate the values impulses. This compares the attitude of people proactive and reactive people.

Proactive people:
• They move carefully thought out and selected values: anything can happen around them but they own how they want to react to these stimuli.
• Focus your efforts on the circle of influence are dedicated to those things about which they can do something. His energy is positive, thus expanding their circle of influence.

Reactive people:
• They are affected by the circumstances, conditions, social environment ... Just feel good if their environment is good.
• Focus efforts on the circle of concern: the shortcomings of other people, environmental problems and in circumstances over which they have no control. They have the freedom to choose their own actions.

And then I ask to you … ¿what isn’t being proactive?

Well here you have to remove several myths. Proactive has nothing to do with activism or hyperactivity. Being proactive means not act quickly, so chaotic and disorganized, carried away by the impulses of the moment.
People who have the habit of proactivity are not aggressive, arrogant, or insensitive, as advocated by some topics, but the opposite: they move through values, know what they need and act accordingly.

Proactive people are those who take the leadership of their own lives and choose actions that generate their own responses to situations and circumstances.
A proactive person faced and successfully resolved the problems and pressures supports with positive attitude and showing that it’s a challenge and not a difficulty, and has the desire and ability to make things better.
That said, it appears that the proactiveness seems not everyone has talent, and often it ‘s, but who are not proactive attitudes can be proactive, to imitate those who, by nature, responding to the above description, without even trying.
If at this moment you feel that you’re not proactive but would like to develop some of these attitudes to improve your quality of life, you begin by listing and try to imitate some proactive action.

The main qualities of proactive people are the tenacity and the determination.
Also:
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
• Manage your emotions and positive attitude
• They express their opinions assertively
• They trust in themselves and likes to take challenges
• Take the initiative and takes action
• Act with resolve and determination to achieve their goals
• Positive coping change and uncertainty
• Transform problems into opportunities
• They are persistent, don’t leave the first exchange
• Are willing to change the course of action to achieve the results you want
• Assume their failures and consider them as learning opportunities
• Generate new ideas and strategies to solve problems and difficulties
• Are nonconformists, defy convention and anticipate future scenarios

Proactive people aren’t afraid to change, on the contrary, are often those who drive, then stop being afraid of uncertainty, novelty and change and take advantage of them.
It’s better to be conscious of that change will be uninterrupted, that this scenary of "control and security" is imaginary and I’d like to recommend the best it’s to be prepared internally avoiding the nostalgy that prevent us from retrofit to new realities.

Being flexible, admitting that things can be slightly or completely different and we can be part of change, thanks to a positive approach is one way to learn to manage environments of uncertainty and constant change.

Once we got moving and the first targets, these small successes will be the greatest motivators to stay on course correction action or if not achieved the desired results.

That's all for today ...

I wish you a wonderful weekend ... and I'd like to read your comments!

Lorena