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Habit 1: Be Proactive

Hello,

So this is the first part to our Be Effective series. Remember the concepts are from Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Let's Be Effective.

-The dictionary definition for a Proactive Person is a person who creates or controls situations by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.

 

Actions, Thoughts & Words

-To be Proactive you must be conscious of your actions.

Ask yourself before acting: Will this help the problem? Will it make it worse?

-A proactive person is conscious of their thoughts.

Are you thinking negatively? Do you tell yourself that you can't do something because it's hard or you hit a road block? Tell yourself that you can!

-A proactive person is conscious of their words.

According to Sean Covey, a proactive person says "I'll do it" instead of "I'll try"; a proactive person says "I can do better than that" instead of "That's just the way I am."

Don't be Reactive

If your faced with a problem deal with it head on. Don't freak out and let your fear and emotions control your actions. You are in control of your body, your actions, and your emotions. So, why would you let them be in control, when it's obvious that you are?

The 4"Power Tools" for Proactiveness

These are Sean Covey's "power tools" for being proactive:

  1. SELF-AWARENESS: "I can stand apart from myself and observe my thoughts and actions."

  2. CONSCIENCE: "I can listen to my inner voice to know right from wrong."

  3. IMAGINATION: "I can envision new possibilities."

  4. WILLPOWER: "I have the power to choose."

Print out my Proactive Checklist:

How to use:

  1. Read the checklist and check off things you do on a consistent basis.

  2. Choose something on the checklist to work on each week.

  3. Look at the "What can you do?" section. Write down what you can do to be more Proactive.

  4. Check off the Proactive Habits as you master each of them.

 
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