Vicious Circle of Concern Vs. Vivacious Circle of Influence.

Another Sunday - and I was wondering if I could try and decipher the psyche of the people who "react" rather than "responding" to situations - but that drew in my mind the scope for another parallel which was about being "Proactive". Is it a good thing?

It is not an art to begin with but an habit to be practiced and it is about making yourself in your life "response- able". Recently saw a video of a Tamil movie star being interviewed and when was quizzed with the question of "Who identified you?" - the response was "Myself", and to me that was brilliant.

Drawing a parallel - to me being proactive is to recognize oneself, first and foremost is to stop blaming the external for anything and everything. Proactive ones don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior.

Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to.

Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power--you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language--I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language--I can't, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do--they have no choice.

Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas--Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence - as simple as being external and internal stimulus respectively.

Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive. The real question pops out now - what will I do, as an individual being only Proactive? or rather how would it help me?

Answer to the above- is simple to me, but let me try to explain the psychological science behind it - make an inception of the circle of concern and influence in your mind and follow on.

The explanation sets off with a beautiful concept of imagination. The ability to envision in your mind - what you cannot see at present with your eyes. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.