Importance of Being Proactive

Every one of us in this world, respond to our problem or situation based on the stimuli that gets produced. For example, if someone shouts at us for no reason, we will respond to them either by shouting or by neglecting their attitude towards us. If our boss is obstinate who gets tempered for no reason, we will normally respond by avoiding him to the max.

But the question is; are we choosing our response based on the stimulus with respect to our own freedom? Or based on the influence of our environment and people surrounding us?

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” Viktor Frankl

I have heard the effect of proactive thinking in a real life incident from one of my colleague. He was welcomed to a new project and was assigned with a new technical task. He reported directly to his manager and was guided by one of his senior officials. As per his senior official’s words, he used to proceed with the technical flow.

On a fine day, his senior official provided him with a wrong technical concept. As he was new to the project, he wasn’t sure whether the logic was suitable or not. He merely followed his words based on his knowledge. But when the results provided were not as expected, he was censured for his irresponsibility by his respective project manager.       

He knew that it was not his fault. And also his coordinator ain’t confessed that it was his mistake. Even though the project manager shouted for his ignorance, he remained to maintain his silence. He managed to control his emotional reactions which wouldn’t be of any use to him.

The same day, after a few hours, his manager called for him and apologised for his haughtiness. And at that exact moment, he divulged that it was not his mistake conveying that he was new to this technical work flow. And also he made his apology for his inconvenience.

Maybe this ain’t made a huge difference in his work life. But this incident nourished his correlation with his manager and also enriched his trust which isn’t easy to build in a corporate company. What I am about to convey is that a simple silence controlling his reactions to his stimulus on that spur of the moment made a pivotal moment in his life.

For every stimulus produced, we have multiple alternatives as a choice of our response. After stimulus and before response, we have the freedom to choose our reaction. To be proactive is to respond wisely, to respond to the stimulus without any influence of the environment and people around you.

Have you ever thought about the meaning of responsibility?

Responsibility: response + ability

The ability to choose your response based on your own influence without any influence of the environment which ultimately supports your goal or the purpose of your life is what we call as ‘being proactive’.

Proactive vs. Reactive

The major difference between proactive and reactive is that the proactive persons focus on eliminating the source of the problem, whereas the reactive persons focus on solutions for the problem without trying to solve its cause.

And also the underlying difference between proactive and reactive people is, the proactive persons respond to their stimuli to change their situation or person according to their need, as a support for their success. But on the other hand, the reactive persons respond to the situations based on their present emotional state without any mere thought about their future.

Proactive people don’t blame others; rather they work out themselves to overcome the situation with respect to their success. But reactive people blame external parameters such as circumstances and conditions. And further, they build their lives around others emotions.

At times, proactive people are also influenced by external stimulus such as their environment and people surrounded. But still their responses are value based choices.

How to be more proactive?

"You have to play with your problems before the problem plays with you."

In order to be more proactive, you have to play with your problems before they play with you. To describe the above sentence, you have to first understand the concept of ‘Circle of Concern and Influence’.

To be simple, circle of concern relates to things which we concern in our daily life whereas circle of influence relates to things which are influenced by us in our life. The circle of influence always lies within the circle of concern.

For example, finance comes under circle of concern. Whereas you can control your finance by planning out your budgets at regular intervals.

“You should know something about everything and everything about something.”

Circle of concern relates to our mentality in which we concern about our environment and people around us and complicate with ourselves in order to respond to the stimuli. Further, it pushes us down through which we start to feel that things are out of our control even if they are not. 

But the circle of influence is all about taking control of our response-ability. Reactive people have their circle of concern stronger and bigger when compared with their circle of influence. On the other hand, the proactive people have their circle of influence stronger and bigger when compared with their circle of concern.

So, how to be proactive at work? Or how to be proactive in life?

Best way to be proactive is to keep increasing your circle of influence on every possible aspect. Figure out what and all characteristics that come under your circle of concern and influence. Try controlling your characteristics that concern you in your circle of concern. Don’t blame others or your environment for your incapability, rather be optimistic.

For example of being proactive, check out these phrases that differ between proactive and reactive persons.

How reactive persons respond:

• There’s nothing I can do.
• That’s just the way I am.
• He makes me so mad.
• They won’t allow that.
• I have to do that.
• I can’t.
• I must.
• If only.

Have a look at these phrases how proactive people optimize it.

• Let’s look at our alternatives.

• I can choose a different approach.
• I control how I respond to this.
• I choose.
• I prefer.

• I will.

Try to be more optimistic in order to be proactive.

Decide wisely and take actions based on your response-ability.

Play with your problems before the problems play with you.

About the Author:

Shripathy Swaminathan is a passionate writer and an aspiring author from the Manchester city of India. Graduating in the field of engineering, he started his quest to find the writer in himself in order to inspire people by his thoughts.

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