THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 1: BE PROACTIVE
Between stimulus and response, a man has the freedom to choose.
Proactivity means more that merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are
responsible for our own lives. Our behaviour is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.
If we have chosen to let other things control us, we become reactive people. Reactive people are
often affected by their physical environment.
Taking initiative means recognizing our responsibility to make things happen.
We have a wide range of concerns, which we could separate from things in which we have no
particular and mental or emotional involvement by creating a ‘circle of concern’. In this circle are
some things over which we have no real control and others that can do something about.
The problems we face fall in one of three areas: direct control (problems involving our own
behaviour), indirect control (problems involving other people’s behaviour), or no control (problems
we can do nothing about, such as our past or situational realities). Direct control problems are solved
by working on our habits. They are within our Circle of Influence. Indirect control problems are
solved by changing our methods of influence. No control problems involve taking the responsibility
to change the line on the bottom on our face – to genuinely and peacefully accept these problems
and learn to live with them, even though we don’t like the,. We don’t empower these problems to
control us.
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control –
myself.
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those
actions.
HABIT 1: BE PROACTIVE
Between stimulus and response, a man has the freedom to choose.
Proactivity means more that merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are
responsible for our own lives. Our behaviour is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.
If we have chosen to let other things control us, we become reactive people. Reactive people are
often affected by their physical environment.
Taking initiative means recognizing our responsibility to make things happen.
We have a wide range of concerns, which we could separate from things in which we have no
particular and mental or emotional involvement by creating a ‘circle of concern’. In this circle are
some things over which we have no real control and others that can do something about.
The problems we face fall in one of three areas: direct control (problems involving our own
behaviour), indirect control (problems involving other people’s behaviour), or no control (problems
we can do nothing about, such as our past or situational realities). Direct control problems are solved
by working on our habits. They are within our Circle of Influence. Indirect control problems are
solved by changing our methods of influence. No control problems involve taking the responsibility
to change the line on the bottom on our face – to genuinely and peacefully accept these problems
and learn to live with them, even though we don’t like the,. We don’t empower these problems to
control us.
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control –
myself.
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those
actions.
