Proactive vs Reactive

I'm confident that most of those reading this will know the difference between the two words in the title:

Proactive - creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.

Reactive - acting in response to a situation rather than creating or controlling it.

I also think that most would believe themselves to be, in general, Proactive.  That is, that they typically create or control the situations in which they find themselves by causing something to happen.  They take initiative.  While most would say this describes them, they would be WRONG.

Individuals who are primarily proactive are relatively rare.  They are usually self-confident, think strategically, and like to win.   They are leaders and their proclivity to be proactive usually elevates them within their organization to the higher levels of leadership, although this can be affected by other variables, e.g. the presence of character flaws and/or lack of social skills, and is not always the case.

Outside of these rare individuals, most the rest of us are primarily REACTIVE.  When a situation occurs we react.  Now, obviously, being reactive is not all bad, however, by and large those who are primarily reactive have little time to see the bigger picture because they are always putting out fires, fixing problems, and trying to stay on top of things.  This is also called management by some.  However, for reactivity to move into the area of management there must also be a component of leadership (this is not leadership per se, but simply a small aspect of leadership) which is able to understand AND direct energy toward the fulfillment of a goal, thus blending in some proactivity.

Individuals who are primarily REACTIVE often feel victimized, or as if they are caught on a treadmill.  They say they are part of the machine and have little job satisfaction.  They almost always feel there is nothing they can do to change their circumstances and are consigned to live like this until they die.

Those who feel this way are, wait for it,  . . . WRONG!  Proactive and Reactive are not fixed personality traits which are locked in stone.  Anyone can become Proactive, or at least move to become MORE proactive if they choose to do so.  But first you have to accept that it is POSSIBLE, then you must begin to take steps to move beyond being merely reactive.

Where to start.  The next time you react to a situation.  STOP and ask what caused the situation and consider options about what you could personally do to make sure the situation doesn't occur again, and then DO something.  

That's it, its not rocket science.  Simply STOP, ASK, THINK, and ACT (SATA).  The more you do this, the more your life comes back into your own control and your confidence increases.  Oh, and you also win more.