Proactive vs Reactive

OK so I have been very busy and haven’t had time to blog lately but I’m back!!! I want to take a moment to talk about the difference between being proactive vs reactive and explain what I perceive are the benefits of having a proactive attitude.

One of my favorite quotes is a quote by Michael Jordan,

“Some people want it to happen, some people wish it could happen, others make it happen.”

Of course Michael Jordan wanted the ball at the end of the game, he wanted to be in a position to make things happen and win the game. I love sports related quotes because they can and do relate to everyone and every area of life, are you one those people that says I wish this or that would happen. Or are you one those people that constantly desires and wants something to happen but never does anything about it. Finally do you make things happen, instead of just wishing and wanting. We all fall into one category or another.

This is where being proactive comes into play, you must begin to think, visualize and put a plan together to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. Michael Jordan did not become the greatest basketball player ever over night, as a matter of fact when he started out in youth basketball he was not very good. He came home and told his dad that he wanted to quit, and his dad said to him well Michael that’s fine quit but what did you learn today and Michael said
”I found out I hate to lose”.

So what do I do from here, how do I begin to take myself from just wishing and wanting to making things happen and can you be a Michael Jordon in your area of life? I submit that we can be the best at what we do and that we can have more success than failure if we would only plan for success. Simply put we must proactively plan to succeed and not just sit back and take whatever happens and then react to the situation.

“Setting a goal is NOT the main thing, it is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” Tom Landry

The funny thing about goals are they become the things we talk about rather than the things we do. So we talk, wish and want but we don’t proactively go about achieving our goals. Often my sales staff will tell me that the main reason for their success is luck and I am always quick to point out that it’s not luck but it’s when preparation meets opportunity. Just as Michael Jordan had to practice and prepare to take that last second shot, we must proactively plan and prepare to succeed at whatever our goal might be.

To me the difference between proactive and reactive, is not being satisfied with what might happen or could happen but turning the odds in my favor and being prepared for success.
Are you prepared for success?