Continue reading to learn what proactivity entails, why it makes your life better, and how to cultivate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Be Proactive, Not Reactive<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding that we always have the power to choose our thoughts, feelings, and actions makes it clear that every situation presents a choice between being reactive <\/em>or proactive<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n- If you\u2019re reactive<\/em>, your conditioning dictates how you respond<\/strong> to people and circumstances. This is the outside-in approach: External factors affect how you feel inside. Your physical environment (e.g. the weather) and social environment (e.g. how people treat you) determine how you feel and act. <\/li>
- If you\u2019re proactive, you decide how you\u2019ll respond<\/strong> to create the results you want. With this inside-out paradigm, you mindfully choose your thoughts and actions based on values you\u2019ve chosen, cultivated, and internalized. You\u2019re still subject to rain and your boss\u2019s bad mood, but you suppress your reactive emotional impulses when you react.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Proactivity vs. Blind Optimism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
According to Stephen Covey, proactivity is different from blind optimism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Blind optimism means minimizing a problem or denying that it exists entirely.<\/strong> (Shortform note: Similarly, toxic positivity is an insistence on maintaining a positive outlook<\/a>, and in doing so it disregards all painful and difficult emotions. While often well-intended, this response causes shame and guilt for feeling bad, and it doesn\u2019t allow people to feel and process painful emotions, which is necessary for growth.)<\/li>
- Proactivity means accepting difficult realities and determining how to resolve or make the most of them.<\/strong> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This difference has been underscored in how people respond to systemic racial inequity<\/a>, especially as the issue has been more broadly publicized and acknowledged in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Blind optimists highlight increased awareness and activism, while glossing over persistent problems like swelling membership in hate groups<\/a> and a slew of voter suppression laws<\/a>.<\/li>
- Proactive people recognize progress while recognizing the work that still remains, and they address those issues through efforts like community organizing. When they have achievements along the way, proactive people view them as motivation to keep pushing, rather than a signal that the work is done. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Proactivity Demands Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAmong its many benefits, being proactive is a critical first step to improving your life, but it\u2019s not always easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, many people have let their proactivity muscles atrophy. <\/strong>Being proactive and taking initiative are actually natural human responses\u2014but, just like a muscle, if you don\u2019t practice these skills, they get weak. If you\u2019ve spent years blaming your circumstances and conditioning (for instance, \u201cMy parents raised me with this dysfunction.\u201d) for the problems in your life, it\u2019ll take some deliberate practice<\/a> to transition to a proactive paradigm. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSecond, being proactive means you have to take responsibility<\/a> for your actions and their consequences. <\/strong>Now that you know that you can choose your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you have to acknowledge that, explicitly or implicitly, you\u2019ve chosen or allowed everything that\u2019s happened in your life\u2014good and bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Be Proactive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019ve discussed what<\/em> it means to be proactive<\/a>, but how<\/em> do you adopt a proactive attitude<\/a>? Following are six strategies for becoming proactive: two big-picture approaches and four actionable tips. <\/p>\n\n\n\nStrategy #1: Big Picture\u2014Don\u2019t Concern Yourself With Issues You Can\u2019t Affect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nCovey describes proactivity as focusing only on issues you can impact. Put another way, don\u2019t waste your energy worrying about problems you can\u2019t affect.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nCovey illustrates this by drawing a \u201cCircle of Concern\u201d around all of your thoughts and worries. Some of those thoughts and worries are within a smaller circle, inside the Circle of Concern\u2014this is the Circle of Influence<\/a>, which contains all the things that you can actually do something about. For example, the housing market<\/a> slump is in your Circle of Concern<\/a>, whereas your upcoming mortgage payment is in your Circle of Influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/UhG5QqtXaoE-NypsOAaUQphZmwC6B74u-TKwesO00uzCZu3PmMunQx6ghb-uWxdTJEnuAFtxnMjANljopw-XplHG0ZJAD3C6-_A5z71OHNINaRSl5U0S7RoE9Y-lVcnioRfe-K9c\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCovey asserts that reactive people focus on issues outside their Circle of Influence.<\/strong> Spinning their wheels on things they can\u2019t control causes them unnecessary stress and reinforces feelings of victimization.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBy contrast, proactive people spend their time and energy only on their Circle of Influence.<\/strong> Furthermore, they actually expand<\/em> their Circle of Influence because, by definition, proactive people recognize and address the issues in front of them. ![](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/7uDFPxo0Q9jYlcaFbwplZLG_J-i0HpL9jM0Clojbw9dP3GF6z2uHTAJQmPd6aYcP-fGsp9LaN1aKRiN5_2h35UzWt8W2UzCqPzm5rHoWFYFtNTB9zBgqMOwH7xYZ_ke_8hR6PrmK\")
![](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/awkLDK74_8c45u4PdQ0ycnyGHE4AHa0GgPblXthEJqj6lC_Au4mWFEg_4w0Dua7-MOUyTsm3koC81L8Vm4dBLDSpDz75UNgQhQij_n7BUOLM_wf4W6VOfeo0XtbvG6HrlxKSUoK9\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\nStrategy #2: Actionable\u2014Expand Your Circle of Influence<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe greater the number of concerns that fall within your Circle of Influence, the more control you have to eliminate the issues in your life and create change in your favor. Covey posits that you always have a choice in how you respond to a situation, and the key to expanding your Circle of Influence is learning how to respond with problems over which you have no direct control.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you made a list of everything that worries and upsets you\u2014from work stress to your kids fighting to climate change\u2014each issue would fall into one of three categories, which Covey labels: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Direct control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that are directly related to your actions<\/li>
- Indirect control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that are related to other people\u2019s actions<\/li>
- No control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that you have no ability to impact, including certain circumstances (like the the weather) and the past <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve identified what kind of issue you\u2019re dealing with, take the proactive approach: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- For direct-control problems, alter your behavior. <\/strong>Habits 1 through 3 are focused on changing your actions through habits. <\/li>
- For indirect-control problems, focus on your interactions with other people <\/strong>and you may be able to influence their actions. Habits 4 through 6 address this through \u201cPublic Victories,\u201d which improve how you connect and communicate with others. <\/li>
- For no-control problems, accept the unchangeable reality <\/strong>and make peace with it. Dwelling on the issue only empowers it to harm your mental and emotional well-being<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- If you\u2019re reactive<\/em>, your conditioning dictates how you respond<\/strong> to people and circumstances. This is the outside-in approach: External factors affect how you feel inside. Your physical environment (e.g. the weather) and social environment (e.g. how people treat you) determine how you feel and act. <\/li>
- If you\u2019re proactive, you decide how you\u2019ll respond<\/strong> to create the results you want. With this inside-out paradigm, you mindfully choose your thoughts and actions based on values you\u2019ve chosen, cultivated, and internalized. You\u2019re still subject to rain and your boss\u2019s bad mood, but you suppress your reactive emotional impulses when you react.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Proactivity vs. Blind Optimism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
According to Stephen Covey, proactivity is different from blind optimism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Blind optimism means minimizing a problem or denying that it exists entirely.<\/strong> (Shortform note: Similarly, toxic positivity is an insistence on maintaining a positive outlook<\/a>, and in doing so it disregards all painful and difficult emotions. While often well-intended, this response causes shame and guilt for feeling bad, and it doesn\u2019t allow people to feel and process painful emotions, which is necessary for growth.)<\/li>
- Proactivity means accepting difficult realities and determining how to resolve or make the most of them.<\/strong> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This difference has been underscored in how people respond to systemic racial inequity<\/a>, especially as the issue has been more broadly publicized and acknowledged in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Blind optimists highlight increased awareness and activism, while glossing over persistent problems like swelling membership in hate groups<\/a> and a slew of voter suppression laws<\/a>.<\/li>
- Proactive people recognize progress while recognizing the work that still remains, and they address those issues through efforts like community organizing. When they have achievements along the way, proactive people view them as motivation to keep pushing, rather than a signal that the work is done. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Proactivity Demands Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Among its many benefits, being proactive is a critical first step to improving your life, but it\u2019s not always easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, many people have let their proactivity muscles atrophy. <\/strong>Being proactive and taking initiative are actually natural human responses\u2014but, just like a muscle, if you don\u2019t practice these skills, they get weak. If you\u2019ve spent years blaming your circumstances and conditioning (for instance, \u201cMy parents raised me with this dysfunction.\u201d) for the problems in your life, it\u2019ll take some deliberate practice<\/a> to transition to a proactive paradigm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, being proactive means you have to take responsibility<\/a> for your actions and their consequences. <\/strong>Now that you know that you can choose your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you have to acknowledge that, explicitly or implicitly, you\u2019ve chosen or allowed everything that\u2019s happened in your life\u2014good and bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Be Proactive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve discussed what<\/em> it means to be proactive<\/a>, but how<\/em> do you adopt a proactive attitude<\/a>? Following are six strategies for becoming proactive: two big-picture approaches and four actionable tips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strategy #1: Big Picture\u2014Don\u2019t Concern Yourself With Issues You Can\u2019t Affect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Covey describes proactivity as focusing only on issues you can impact. Put another way, don\u2019t waste your energy worrying about problems you can\u2019t affect.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Covey illustrates this by drawing a \u201cCircle of Concern\u201d around all of your thoughts and worries. Some of those thoughts and worries are within a smaller circle, inside the Circle of Concern\u2014this is the Circle of Influence<\/a>, which contains all the things that you can actually do something about. For example, the housing market<\/a> slump is in your Circle of Concern<\/a>, whereas your upcoming mortgage payment is in your Circle of Influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Covey asserts that reactive people focus on issues outside their Circle of Influence.<\/strong> Spinning their wheels on things they can\u2019t control causes them unnecessary stress and reinforces feelings of victimization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By contrast, proactive people spend their time and energy only on their Circle of Influence.<\/strong> Furthermore, they actually expand<\/em> their Circle of Influence because, by definition, proactive people recognize and address the issues in front of them.
Strategy #2: Actionable\u2014Expand Your Circle of Influence<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The greater the number of concerns that fall within your Circle of Influence, the more control you have to eliminate the issues in your life and create change in your favor. Covey posits that you always have a choice in how you respond to a situation, and the key to expanding your Circle of Influence is learning how to respond with problems over which you have no direct control.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you made a list of everything that worries and upsets you\u2014from work stress to your kids fighting to climate change\u2014each issue would fall into one of three categories, which Covey labels: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Direct control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that are directly related to your actions<\/li>
- Indirect control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that are related to other people\u2019s actions<\/li>
- No control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that you have no ability to impact, including certain circumstances (like the the weather) and the past <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve identified what kind of issue you\u2019re dealing with, take the proactive approach: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- For direct-control problems, alter your behavior. <\/strong>Habits 1 through 3 are focused on changing your actions through habits. <\/li>
- For indirect-control problems, focus on your interactions with other people <\/strong>and you may be able to influence their actions. Habits 4 through 6 address this through \u201cPublic Victories,\u201d which improve how you connect and communicate with others. <\/li>
- For no-control problems, accept the unchangeable reality <\/strong>and make peace with it. Dwelling on the issue only empowers it to harm your mental and emotional well-being<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- For indirect-control problems, focus on your interactions with other people <\/strong>and you may be able to influence their actions. Habits 4 through 6 address this through \u201cPublic Victories,\u201d which improve how you connect and communicate with others. <\/li>
- Indirect control<\/strong>\u2014Problems that are related to other people\u2019s actions<\/li>
- Proactive people recognize progress while recognizing the work that still remains, and they address those issues through efforts like community organizing. When they have achievements along the way, proactive people view them as motivation to keep pushing, rather than a signal that the work is done. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Proactivity means accepting difficult realities and determining how to resolve or make the most of them.<\/strong> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- If you\u2019re proactive, you decide how you\u2019ll respond<\/strong> to create the results you want. With this inside-out paradigm, you mindfully choose your thoughts and actions based on values you\u2019ve chosen, cultivated, and internalized. You\u2019re still subject to rain and your boss\u2019s bad mood, but you suppress your reactive emotional impulses when you react.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n