I have recently been read Stephen R Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As I finished reading about Habit 1, "Be Proactive", all I could think was, "Wow, I have a long way to go." Being proactive is one of the greatest habits to obtain in order to be highly effective. It's about being personally responsible for who you are and what you do. Covey explains that in between the 'stimulus' and the 'response', we have the 'freedom to choose'. No one has to do anything, we choose to act, or we choose to be acted upon.
We should also focus on expanding our Circle of Influence instead of focusing on our Circle of Concern, over most of which we have no control. One great literary example of struggling and finally succeeding to develop Habit 1 is Kaladin, in Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.
The development of the habit of being proactive is important to me because I know I struggle with it and I know how essential it is for my earthly and spiritual progression.
I intend to develop this habit by consciously taking responsibility for who I am and what I do, as well as focusing my efforts on expanding my Circle of Influence. I know it's going to be very hard and take a long time, but the best things in life are always that way. It will be worth it in the end.
I am a great procrastinator. I can wait to do anything. But as i have gotten married i have watched my wife who is one of the most proactive people I know. She has helped me see this benefit. I have much more time when I get things done early. It is amazing to me how both the quality of the project turns out and the quantity of my extra time increases. I especially enjoyed the plug on Words of Radiance. It's one of my favorite books and Kaladin does show that quality.
ReplyDeleteThis post really hit home for me this week, thank you. I have decided that I want to pursue accounting as a major and a career. To do this I need to be proactive about studying more, asking for clarifications, and not just passing by but exceling in the class. Thanks for posting this.
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