The Proactive Approach Rather Than The Passive Approach

There are many ways to live life. Some people choose to follow the proactive approach rather than the passive approach. They aim to do this in both their personal and professional lives.

Different people follow it in different ways. Whichever route they take, however, they often focus in the following themes.

Positive

They have a positive attitude, focus on what they can control in situations and clarify their picture of success.

Proactive

They are proactive and aim make things happen on the way towards achieving their picture of success.

Planning Ahead

They plan ahead and aim to make things as predictable as possible to increase the chances of achieving their picture of success.

Imagine that you want to follow elements of this approach in your own way. Let’s explore how it may be possible to do this in both your personal and professional life.

Personal Life

Looking at your personal life, what are the areas where you are good at being proactive? What are the areas where you could be better?

You may be proactive whe taking care of your health. You may have regular health checks, visit the dentist and do other things that take care of your wellbeing.

You may be proactive when encouraging your loved ones. You may anticipate their needs, help them to achieve their goals or do other things to help them to be healthy and happy.

You may be proactive when managing the practical tasks. You may be good at managing your finances, dealing with the daily chores and anticipating any potentially challenging events.

You may be proactive in doing something each day to work towards your life goals. Different people do this in different ways. One person expressed this in the following way.

“Many years ago I began to focus on my life goals. This happened after attending a workshop on career development.

“During the session we were invited to clarify our long-term personal and professional goals. Since then I have made key decisions based on how these fitted with achieving my life goals.

“I learned how to plan things by starting from the destination and working backwards. This is an approach I have applied in many areas of my life.

“Bearing in mind the results to achieve, I consider the strategies I can follow to give myself the best chance of success. This leads to making action plans for the next day, week, month or even for the year.

“The planning part also involves anticipating and managing unexpected events. This helps me to stay ahead of the game.”

Let’s return to your own life. What are the areas where you are good at being proactive in your personal life? What are the areas where you could be better? What are the things you can do to continue to be proactive in your personal life?

If you wish, try tackling he exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.

Professional Life

Looking at your professional life, what are the areas where you are good at being proactive? What are the areas where you could be better? What can you do to continue to be proactive and shape your future?

You may be proactive regarding the practical aspects. You may be good organising your schedule, taking care of customers and managing your key stakeholders.

You may be proactive regarding the psychological aspects. You may be good at creating a positive environment and encouraging your colleagues. You may also be good at anticipating any potential challenges.   

You may be proactive regarding continuing to build on your strengths. You may be good at continuing: a) to do the solid work that pays the bills; b) to do stimulating work that you find fulfilling.

You may be proactive regarding taking charge of your career. You may be good at continuing: a) to be super professional in your present role; b) to always have a Plan B in case things change in your present employment.

People like to feel in control. They also like to make things as predictable as possible. This gives them more space to manage any unexpected events. They are then more able to thrive rather than just survive.

Let’s return to your professional life. What are the areas where you are good at being proactive in your work? What the areas where you could be better? How can you continue to be proactive in your professional life?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.