7 Habits of highly Effective People: Be Proactive

Effective people take responsibility for their lives. The do not blame others, they do not believe that things happen to them, and they are not victims. Being proactive means feeling in control of your life, feeling like the captain and choosing your attitude. Reactive people make choices on impulse. Proactive people make choices on values.

Language is a major factor in controlling whether you are proactive or reactive. Reactive language places the blame on others, reveals that your emotions are out of control and takes no responsibility. It takes the power away form you and gives it to someone else. Proactive language works to put the control back in your hands. It says, “I know I can’t control everything, but I can control how I react to it.” Proactive language focuses on the options, opportunities and optimism.

In reality, no one is either completely proactive or reactive, but somewhere in between. The goal is to be as proactive as possible. This is important for college student because, at some point or along many points, life will deal you a bad hand. There will be glitch with the internet when you are working on a paper, you may struggle with a professor who has a differing teaching style, you will get in arguments with friends, you may not get as much scholarship money as you’d like, and so on. These setbacks are opportunities to grow, develop and gain perspective. Proactivity gives you control, and in a time in your life that can feel overwhelming, control is an important thing. In order to be successful and efficient college students, you need to take initiative to make your goals happen, think about solutions and options to obstacles, and act before you are acted upon.