I always thought proactive and reactive were terms dedicated to the workplace. I always thought if you were reactive in the workplace, you were always working to solve issues. You could not focus on growth because you are too busy reacting. I thought in order to grow and become better in business, you needed to learn how to be proactive. This would allow you to solve issues by creating systems, so when those issues arise, you could take them on easily. Turns out this is mostly true in business but what I have recently learned, is, this is also true in your personal life!
I like to think of proactive and reactive as mindsets. Proactive is the positive minded individual, where reactive is the negative minded individual. Part of our mindset and behavior is how we respond to situations. If we believe our life is in our hands and our actions are based on our decisions then we are proactive. If we believe our life is determined by the conditions we were dealt or the conditions around us, we are reactive. It is up to us, if we want to believe we are in control of our lives or if some outside conditions are in control of our lives. I have decided to take responsibility for my actions. I am the way I am because of my actions I have taken. I will be the individual I want to be in the future, by my decisions and actions I will take.
My business partner and I have been receiving job coaching from Josh and Audrey who help run our local WiscoREIA. They have accomplished a lot in the real estate industry and we feel they are great mentors and coaches to learn from. One thing we are working with them on right now is our vision. We have done multiple exercises to write our vision. I was quite blown away with what I came up with for my vision. One of the the things on my vision is to be proactive instead of reactive. My vision has a lot more to do with lifestyle and mindset then accomplishments or materialistic things. I think those things will be a part of my business and personal goals but not part of my vision for a fulfilled life.
As I progress to being proactive instead of reactive through my life, I will be working on dismantling my negative self talk. One thing I have struggled with my whole life is negative self talk. Since I was little, I have talked down on myself and it has followed me into adulthood. It can take the form of many things in my mind. It is not just negative self talk, its negative thoughts about things and scenarios that have never happened and most likely would never happen but I think them anyways and I go through the conversations and scenarios as if they would happen. I have been conscious about this, whenever I notice it happening, I tell myself to stop and I move on to a different thought. Anytime one comes creeping up, I try to stomp it out. I know in time, I will put these thoughts at bay and I will move from a reactive state of mind to a proactive one.
I challenge everyone to be conscious of your thoughts and strive for proactive ones.
Your life Tutor
-Shaun Tutor
Tutors of Life 