habit 1 BE PROACITVE

PRIVATE VICTORY
HABIT ONE
BE PROACTIVE

Self-awareness is the reason why man has dominion over all the things in the world and why he can make significant advances from generation to generation. Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine the way we “see” ourselves - our self paradigm, the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness.
THE SOCIAL MIRROR
While we have acknowledged the tremendous power of conditioning in our lives, to say that we are determined by it, that we have no control over that influence, creates quite a different map. There are three theories of determinism:-
GENETIC DETERMINISM basically says our grandparents did it to us.
PSYCHIC DETERMINISM says your parent’s sis it to you. Your upbringing, your childhood experience made you the person you are today.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM says something in the environment is doing it to you and is responsible for your situation.
Each of these maps is based on the stimulus/response theory. The basic idea is that we are conditioned to respond in a particular way to a particular stimulus. Between stimulus and response man has to choose his freedom. We have conscience and independent will- the ability to act based on our self-awareness, free of all other influences.


PROACTIVITY DEFINED
Proactivity means more than taking initiative. It means that as humans we are responsible for our own lives. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, condition, or conditioning for their behavior. Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. Proactive people are driven by values – carefully thought about, selected and internalized values. As Eleanor Roosevelt observed, “No one can hurt you without your consent.”
TAKING THE INITIATIVE
Taking initiative does not mean being pushy, or aggressive. It does mean recognizing our responsibility to make things happen. For instance, people who end up with good jobs are always those who take initiative, they are part of the solution not part of the problem.
Proactive people focus their efforts in the CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE. The work on things they can do something about. The nature of their energy is positive which causes their circle of influence to increase. Reactive people on the other hand focus their energies on the circle of concern, things about which they cannot do anything. This causes their circle of influence to shrink.
The circle of concern is filled with the have’s. For instance “if I had my degree” etc. The circle of influence is filled with the be’s “I can be more loving.” The proactive approach is to change from inside-out, be different by being different.