Best of 7 habits of effective people – Habit 1 – Being proactive

1. It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.

2. Many people wait for something to happen or someone to take care of them. But people who end
up with the good jobs are the proactive ones who are solutions to problems, not problems themselves,
who seize the initiative to do whatever is necessary, consistent with correct principles, to get the job
done.

3. There are some people who interpret "proactive" to mean pushy, aggressive, or insensitive; but that
isn’t the case at all. Proactive people aren’t pushy. They’re smart, they’re value driven, they read
reality, and they know what’s needed.

4. While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions.

5. "Success," said IBM founder T. J. Watson, "is on the far
side of failure."

6. The power to make and keep commitments to ourselves is the essence of developing the basic habits
of effectiveness. Knowledge, skill, and desire are all within our control. We can work on any one to
improve the balance of the three.

7. Look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation. It’s not what they’re not doing
or should be doing that’s the issue. The issue is your own chosen response to the situation and what
you should be doing. If you start to think the problem is "out there," stop yourself. That thought is
the problem.