3) Proactivity

Most setbacks can be effectively corrected at or near the time of their occurrence, and proactivity goes a step further. It means dealing with the problem before it materializes.

I strongly believe that lapses in proactivity cause most of the avoidable problems we encounter in life. If you want to maintain order in your life then a proactive mindset is one that you must strive to maintain at all times, because problems of catastrophic extents are just a moment of ignorance away.

Using the same road-traffic analogy as before, maintaining an orderly life is the same as driving a car. Awareness of your circumstances, direction and velocity is critical, and proactivity can be likened to the state of mind you’re in when you hit the brakes because the car in front of you hit emergency brakes. You are aware enough to notice the car’s change in velocity and ready to act to avoid the impending accident you foresee.

Problems come few and far between in the life of a proactive person. This is because a problem avoided today leads to the avoidance of many problems of tomorrow too. There’s no telling how many more bad things a single mishap can open the door to. In the same way too, there’s no telling how many good things a single good decision can open the door to; benefits might even last a lifetime and beyond. From this, you can see the value of a proactive mindset.

To maintain proactivity, you have to perform two basic functions: you have to perceive and act, all ahead of time. It is the ability to perceive bad occurrences before they occur that I am going to share with you in the next reflection.