Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 1 is based on the principle that you are responsible for your own choices. You have the freedom to choose and can influence your own life. When you are proactive, you choose how to respond to circumstances instead of automatically reacting to them. The freedom to choose is reinforced by using your ‘proactive muscles’ which we call the Four Human Endowments, which are:
Self-Awareness: Ability to examine our mood, thoughts, and behavior
Imagination: Ability to visualize beyond current experience and circumstance
Conscience: Understanding of right and wrong
Independent Will: Ability to act independent of external influences

Remember Mickey’s point that this is about how we react to situations around us; it is not just evading the bad stuff? Being proactive is about pausing to think about how we will respond to a stimulus, and this is a life-long process that is vital to our success. Stone was our example; he was proactive in his response to getting cut down by the other soccer player, and he served as an example to the boys he coached by emulating that freedom to choose within their own lives. Stone is what we call a transition person; someone who challenges negative patterns in life and gives way to positive patterns of behavior. Who is a transition person for you? For me it is some artists, mentors, and even biographies I read which allow them to serve as a transition person for me even after their own lives have ended.

Gaining more control over our lives involves thinking of two categories: the Circle of Influence (things we can influence through our choices) and the Circle of Concern (things we cannot influence at all). By focusing on our Circle of Influence we increase our influence and gain more control over those things we can influence. We should use our self-awareness to examine our feelings, positive or negative, and see if they are a result of putting energy into the Circle of Influence or Concern.

Habit 1: Be Proactive, is the cornerstone habit. Our freedom to choose ultimately sets the stage for our future success. The founders of our country embodied this in the Declaration of Independence the Constitution; they were not guaranteed these rights, but they recognized the freedom to choose and used their imagination to visualize a better future. On the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial Dr. King recognized the freedom to choose his words and actions. Although he was assaulted physically and verbally throughout his adult life, he chose to respond by pausing first to recognize his ultimate goal of freedom and a beloved community. This is continually indicated in his speeches and writings, and he used his conscience to guide him.

This week use your independent will. Think about your freedom to choose and how to continually practice the art of choosing wisely. Think of something that truly upsets you and figure out what you can do in your Circle of Influence to positively impact the situation. Be a transition person to someone like Stone was for the boys: Demic volunteers as a Big Brother, some of you may be a transition person for a chapter brother that could use your ears or an uplifting word.

Life-Long Learning and Growth are Vital,

Jeremy