Habit 1: Be Proactive
I Am the Force
“Our only freedom is the freedom
to discipline ourselves.”
--- Bernard Baruch
What does proactive mean?
Being proactive is the opposite of being reactive. It means to take responsibility for your
actions.
So what does reactive mean?
Reactive means to be acted upon and controlled by events and emotions.
When and where do you tend to be the most reactive?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Give an example of a proactive choice you’ve made:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Below are various examples of reactive and proactive language. With two different colored
markers, determine which phrases are which by highlighting proactive language in one color and
reactive language in another.
“I will do that right now!”
“Who does he think
he is anyway?”
“I didn’t see it that way, thanks for letting me
know.”
Listen to you own language. Is it proactive or reactive? List some examples.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Refer to page 51.