Are you proactive or reactive? Many people won’t understand the difference between a proactive and reactive lifestyle, but the difference between the two is clear as day. While a proactive lifestyle should be the goal for anyone, most people are living out their reactive side a majority of their life.
If you want to learn to take more control of your life, it will start with a proactive approach. When life throws us curve balls and puts us in tough situations, a reactive approach will normally bring out the worst in us.
Let’s take a look at what the difference is between the two and why you should aim for a proactive lifestyle.
What Is a Proactive Life?
People who live a proactive lifestyle are known to “write their own story.” Everything they do, they do it for a reason and they do it because it’s what they want out of life. This will include the goals they set for themselves, the expectations they set for others, and their day-to-day routine in general.
When you take control of your behavior, actions, feelings, and decisions, you’ll gain a sense of confidence when strutting through life. You’ll be more in-tune with yourself, you’ll start to inspire others, and you’ll start to pave your own way — one you’re proud of.
What Is a Reactive Life?
On the other hand, a reactive lifestyle is one that lacks control, direction, and guidance. You wake up in the morning without a plan, without goals to achieve, and without a sense of where you currently stand in life.
Those that follow this approach to life will rely on everything happening around them when determining what’s next. You’re not in control of your actions, decisions, or behavior, and instead leave those things up to someone else.
A reactive lifestyle is dangerous because it’ll compromise what makes you, you. You’ll start to lose your sense of self and eventually won’t even recognize who you are.
How Can We Be More Proactive?
In simpler terms, a proactive lifestyle is one where you take action by causing change. A reactive lifestyle is one where you react to change as it happens — there’s a difference.
If you want to be more proactive in life, there are several things you can start doing. First, start by taking responsibility for yourself. It’s important we understand that we have the opportunity to shape our lives how we want — we just have to be ready to take accountability for it.
You’ll also need to learn to accept mistakes (and learn from them), live in the solution and not the problem, surround yourself with like-minded individuals, know what you can and can’t control, remain positive, and most importantly be proud of yourself.
There’s so much to love about this life, we just have to find it. When we spend our days living out someone else’s dream instead of creating our own, we’ll struggle to ever find true happiness. You need to decide whether you want a proactive or reactive life and act accordingly. With a proactive approach, you can start to regain control of what you thought was lost.