Love Earth Life Happiness.

4.27.2011

Habit #1: Be Proactive

No.. I'm not about to blog about "Proactiv - face wash". Instead, this post will be about the first habit that I am going to apply in my life for the next 30 days. Being proactive. If you are wondering what I'm talking about.. this post isn't necessarily going to explain exactly what "being proactive" means, it is more-so a record for my own personal method to keep me on track and remind myself to apply this first habit. I will share a few quotes from the book that I'm reading.. (which is where the idea of the 7 habits, that I am now starting to apply in my life, comes from).

  • Face the reality that we have the power to choose a positive response in all circumstances and projections.
  • Recognize our responsibility to make things happen.
  • Our basic nature is to act, and not be acted upon.
  • What matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life. Responsibility = response-ability.
  • It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.
  • Proactive people are still influenced by external stimuli, whether physical, social, or psychological. But their response to the stimuli, conscious or unconscious, is a value-based choice or response.
  • Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose. 
  • He could decide within himself how all of this was going to affect him.
And last, (but not least) my favorite quote of them all.....
  • Whatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You can replace old patterns of self-defeating behavior with new patters, new habits of effectiveness, happiness, and trust-based relationships.
The book gives suggestions on how to apply this habit for the next thirty days.. if you are interested in trying it out with me, read on, black swan.

  1. For a full day, listen to your language and to the language of the people around you. How often do you use and hear reactive phrases such as "If only," "I can't," or "I have to"?
  2. Identify an experience you might encounter in the near future where, based on past experience, you would probably behave reactively. Review the situation in the context of your Circle of Influence. How could you respond proactively? Take several moments and create the experience vividly in your mind, picturing yourself responding in a proactive manner. Remind yourself of the gap between stimulus and response. Make a commitment to yourself to exercise your freedom to choose.
  3. Select a problem from your work or personal life that is frustrating to you. Determine whether it is a direct, indirect, or no control problem. Identify the first step you can take in your Circle of Influence to solve it and then take that step.
  4.  Try the thirty-day test of proactivity. Be aware of the change in your Circle of Influence.


I invite anyone who is seeking to take responsibility in their lives.. anyone who is sick of having self-doubt or self-esteem issues...  or anyone who simply is searching for a better meaning in life to join me. Either by reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.. or by following along with my random updates on how I choose to apply these ideas into my life. :) Again, I have no idea if anyone will even pay attention to what I'm talking about.. if you do, feel free to ask me anything or just keep reading whenever.. like I said, this post isn't intended for an audience. It's more of a personal test. Peace out homies.

Enjoy

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